


A Different World

by SilverKitsune2017



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Naruto
Genre: Battle Scenes, Coming of Age, Crossover, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Happy Ending, M/M, Minor Character Death, Puppy Love, Silly Sorting Hat, Slight Yuri, Slow Romance, Straight Pairings, True Love, Yaoi, possible plot twists
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2019-02-18 06:05:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 101,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13093986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverKitsune2017/pseuds/SilverKitsune2017
Summary: "What's Hogwarts like?" Sasuke asks. "You've asked that question already." Itachi laughs."I know, but you might remember something you forgot the other times." The boy replies. At the time, he failed to realize something very important. It didn't matter whether you came from a Muggle or Magic Family, Hogwarts was truly a different world. The Sorting Hat always made sure of that!





	1. What's Hogwarts Like?

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: This story will be about meeting of the Naruto characters and the world of Harry Potter. The Naruto characters were born into this universe and this takes place years after the Battle of Hogwarts. This tale will also show the main characters journeys from First Years to young adults. This is also one of my older works, so the technical style is pretty basic. I had a magical time writing it though. So I decided to post it here. If any of that bothers you, you might want to turn back now. For those of you still here, I hope you enjoy this story and reviews are always appreciated.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no profit off of any of my stories.

"Itachi, what's Hogwarts like?" Sasuke asks his big brother innocently.

He had just gotten his letter and the Uchiha family was currently in Diagon Alley. They were far from along though. There were likely hundreds of other people milling about the crowded street. Most of them were either shopping for their school supplies or taking someone else shopping.

"Sasuke, you've asked that question at least at hundred times today alone." Itachi chuckles.

"Yeah! I know, but you might remember something you forgot the other times." The raven haired boy replies.

Itachi was a sixth year student at Hogwarts. He knew all about it. N.E.W.T.S. were really the only thing that he hadn't done yet. The way Sasuke saw it, there was almost nothing that his big brother didn't know about his new school and he should make good use of that fact!

"Humor, your brother. You were the same way, when you were his age. Actually, I believe you were worse. That's probably because you're a Ravenclaw though, Itachi." Fugaku observes with a chuckle.

"What's wrong with being a Ravenclaw?" Mikoto demands.

"Nothing, My Love. It's a fine house. I'm just saying that Ravenclaws are naturally more inquisitive." He says quickly and Sasuke laughs.

His father had been a Gryffindor. His mother was a Ravenclaw. Itachi took after his mother in that respect. Though they had people from all four houses in their family. (That was only to be expected when you were in a family this large.)

"Yes, well that's true." Mikoto says, seemingly pacified for the moment.

"Which house are you hoping to get, Sasuke?" Itachi asks.

"I'm not sure. They all sound good." The younger Uchiha says with a smile as he darts ahead off them off to Madam Malkin's to get his robes.

He knew that his parents and brother wouldn't take long to find him. So what was the point in waiting around. While he was there, he saw lots of kids around his age. They were probably trying to get their robes too!

"Hey!" A girl with bright pink hair calls out to him.

Sasuke blinks. Why was this girl's hair pink? Had she tried to do magic and did it somehow backfire? That was weird. Why didn't her parents change it back?

There was some kind of rule against kids doing magic outside of school. When you were little though, you didn't always have control over it. Almost every witch or wizard had a story about losing control of their powers and Sasuke was no exception in this regard.

_"Owe!" Sasuke grumbled as his aunt pinched his cheek again._

_He really hated when she did that. Why did people always do that to young kids? Big people could be so annoying sometimes!_

_"Oh Mikoto. He's just adorable with those cute little cheeks and those big bubble eyes of his." The other woman gushed._

_Little cheeks? His cheeks weren't little and what did she mean by bubble eyes? Honestly, he didn't really understand adults at least half the time._

_"Forgive her, Sasuke. It's just her way of showing that she cares." Itachi whispered to him._

_Sasuke sighed and nodded. That was until she did it again. He yelled at her and suddenly her robes were on fire. The woman screamed until his mother put out the flames._

_"Well, look on the bright side. The boy definitely isn't a Squib and yellow really isn't your color, anyway." Fugaku offered._

_"Fugaku! That really isn't the point! That boy just tried to burn me alive!" His sister-in-law snapped at him._

_"I think you're being overdramatic. Most magical children have outburst like this. He basically had a temper tantrum. Perhaps, you should stop pinching his cheeks." Mikoto suggested._

To most Wizarding Families, there were few fates that were worse than being born a Squib. A Squib was a person who came from a magical family, but couldn't use magic. There used to be a caretaker at Hogwarts who was one, but he had retired before Itachi got there.

"Hello." Sasuke greets her.

"So you going to Hogwarts too?" The young girl asks.

"Mhm. I'm going to be a first year. Who are you though? I'm Sasuke." He says.

That was the wrong thing to say. The other girl told him that her name was Sakura. She also told him a lot more than that. Apparently, she came from a Muggle Family and had no clue about well anything magically related.

"Be nice to her, you prat! She's new!" Sasuke hears an all too familiar voice say and he mentally groans.

Naruto was his best friend and rival, but the other boy had this weird thing. This Hero Thing. Sasuke didn't really get it himself. He supposed that the blonde thought that it was still the Middle Ages where the Princes always had to save the Princesses or something.

He always insisted on being nice to girls. Just because they were girls and for no other reason. Sasuke thought that was stupid, really. He was nice to people who deserved it. Gender had nothing to do with it.

"I was being nice to her." Sasuke protests.

"Good! Then she can come with us to get our wands and other stuff!" The blonde says.

Sasuke gapes at him. He couldn't be serious. The girl was never going to be quiet! Couldn't he just chuck a copy of Hogwarts A History at her and be on his way? Apparently not.

"I guess. If my parents say it's okay and if he parents do. I know yours will. Your mother teaches Muggle Studies. She'd probably be fascinated." Sasuke says with a sigh.

"What's Muggle Studies?" Sakura asks.

"Muggles are people without magic. Muggle Studies means that our people study yours. Not everyone comes from the same kind of background you do. Your world is as strange to us as ours is to you." Sasuke explains.

To Sasuke's utter horror, the girl was now looking at him as if he was some sort of God. This was so not good. Damn it. Why couldn't girls leave him alone?!

"You're really smart! I bet you'll be in Ravenclaw!" Sakura says.

That was when their parents came in. Thank Merlin for small mercies. Knowing Naruto, he'd probably find a way to get the girl to tag along with them to get their wands. He really had the worst luck!

"Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha, do you think we could go and get our wands now! That would be really cool! Oh and we made a new friend. Her name is Sakura. We still have to ask her parents, if she can come with us. They're Muggles though. So I really think that they'd appreciate the help, anyway." Naruto says brightly.

There were times when Sasuke was simply astounded by the other boy's amazing lung capacity. Naruto somehow managed get that all out in one breath. Really, it was nothing of incredible.

"Well, I suppose it's alright. We can all go together. That's assuming of course, that Sakura's parents agree." Fugaku replies diplomatically, obviously used to Naruto's antics.

"Yay!" Naruto says as he bounds off and goes to speak with Sakura's parents.

"That boy has more energy than there are books in the Hogwarts' Library." Mikoto observes with a giggle.

It didn't take long for Sakura's family to agree. Sasuke shakes his head. Well it didn't really matter. He was looking forward to getting his wand.

"We should get going, if we intend to beat the crowd." Itachi offers and the others nod in agreement as they set off, after they had all gotten their robes.

* * *

It didn't take them long to get to Ollivanders. Not surprisingly, Naruto was the first to bound in. Sakura looked a little more wary and in awe of all the boxes that were on the shelves. Clearly, she knew what was inside them. Wands.

"Ah welcome. It seems we have three first time wand buyers." Ollivander says with a strange smile.

To Sasuke, it looked like he had stuck his hair in an electric socket and gotten shocked. Of course, he wasn't actually going to say that. That would be rude. If he was rude, his mother and father would probably take away his allowance. That wouldn't be any fun.

"It seems like Naruto wants to go first." Minato says with a chuckle.

"He's certainly eager. Then again, so were we. I remember when you were that age, Minato. You must have gone through at least a dozen boxes before you found yours." Fugaku observes.

"Oh don't remember me. I remember every single wand that I've ever sold and that wand almost blew up my shop. 16 inches. Phoenix feather. Supple and made out of rosewood." He recalls.

Sasuke blinks. Minato was a fully grown man. He had gotten his wand probably two decades ago. That or something close to it. Ollivander certainly wasn't kidding when he said that he remembered every wand that he'd ever sold.

"Oh right. I am sorry about that." Minato says sheepishly.

"It's fine. Now, boy all you have to do is give it a wave and see how it feels. Remember, the wand always chooses it's owner, but its reasoning will forever remain a mystery to some." Ollivander explains.

Sasuke notes that Sakura and her parents look equal parts fascinated and wary. He couldn't help, but wonder what it would be like. They honestly had no idea what they were getting into, but at least Sakura seemed to know about the four Houses. That was a start.

A few minutes later and Naruto had probably gone through about six wands. One made some cases fall off of the shelves. Another caused a minor explosion. Still there were others that did almost nothing. Whether this was normal or typical, Sasuke wasn't entirely sure. Though eventually, Naruto did find one.

"Whoa!" Naruto says as a swirl of wind surrounds him.

"Ah ha! There we go. Let's have a look here. Ah. This a fourteen inch, apple wood wand with a phoenix feather. Surprisingly swishy. It seems you take after your father in a lot of ways. Merlin, help us all. " Ollivander muses.

"What's that mean?" Sakura asks in confusion.

Itachi smiles kindly at the young girl and that was how Sasuke knew that he was going to explain everything. That was just what Itachi did.

"In general most wands range between 9 to 14 inches. Wands that are bigger than smaller than that are usually extremely rare and require a certain temperament or physical stature to wield them. Those larger than that tend love the spotlight or be taller than most. Those that are smaller, tend to be shy or smaller than most in size. Swishy wands are often paired with those who have an amiable personality. The core and wood are more involved though." Itachi nods at her.

"How so?" Sakura asks curiously.

"Phoenix feathers are amazingly strong, but it's difficult to find a wizard or witch who proves themselves worthy of such a wand. They're extremely picky and generally gravitate towards those who are considered 'heroic.' Though some say people's favorite colors might have something to do with it as well. You know, 'fire' colors. As for apple, well they tend to be drawn to those who are social and display great loyalty towards their friends." Ollivander explains to the young girl.

Sakura nods in understanding and Sasuke watches as the young witch heads towards the counter. This should be interesting. A Muggleborn getting their first wand would be fascinating to witness. It was like a bird learning how to fly or something.

"Here you go, My Dear. Try this one. Give it a wave." Ollivander tells her.

Sakura nods and smiles as she waves the wand. Out of the wand shoots a brilliant flash of silver mist. Ollivander nods approvingly.

"Well that was surprisingly easy. Let's see what you have here. Ah yes. 12 inch willow, with a unicorn hair, and surprisingly bendy. Very nice." He tells her.

"Hmm well the owner of a willow wand tends to excel in more 'helpful' forms of magic such as Charms, Divination, Healing, and of course, Herbology. Their owners are sometimes rumored to be late bloomers as far as coming into their own goes, but I'm not sure how much stock to put in that. Bendy means you're willing to compromise, but there are some things that you won't do." Mikoto informs Sakura.

"That's amazing, Sweetie!" Sakura's mother says, who blushes.

Sasuke shakes his head. He felt a little bad for her. She was annoying, but he knew how embarrassing parents could be. Anyway, he steps up to get his own wand.

The first wand that he tries, issues a fiery explosion. To say the least, Ollivander wasn't particularly pleased about having a giant puff of smoke get in his face. Sasuke apologizes and tries another.

The second wand caused a bunch of a light bulb to explode. Some other wands produced comical effects such as flowers. Sasuke was sure that blonde was never going to let him live that one down. Damn it.

Eventually, Sasuke picks up a wand and swishes one that made him feel something that he couldn't quite articulate. Ollivander was right. The wand really did choose the wizard.

"Ah excellent. Hmm. Another 14 inch wand. This time we have a core of dragon heartstring and ebony for the wood. It's quite rigid." He observes.

"What's that mean?" Naruto inquires curiously.

"It means he's stubborn as Hell. He's not going to change his mind about anything. He's also a dominant personality like you and is ridiculously competitive. Dragon wands are wickedly powerful, but there is a trade off. They tend to have less control than other wands. Ebony wands tend to favor more combative styles of magic. Most of their owners are also stubborn arses and who spend way too much time preening with their hair in the shower." Itachi winks.

Sasuke grumbles. Itachi wasn't helping. His own brother had just called him stubborn in front of his friend and Sakura. Not that he cared what Sakura thought of him.

Honestly, he had always liked boys better anyway. Girls giggled too much. Giggling was strange.

"Oh don't look at me like that, Sasuke. You know that it's true." He smirks.

"The list says that they can bring a pet. Perhaps we should go and look at this Magical Menagerie place next." Sakura's mother suggests.

There were murmurs of agreement. The rather large procession makes their way to the magical pet shop. It didn't take long for the children to split up to look at their respective pets, once there either.

* * *

Sakura was definitely a girl. She immediately races over to the cats. Sasuke quite liked cats, but owls just seemed more useful in his opinion for Hogwarts.

"They're all so pretty! I can't decide!" She exclaims.

Owls could carry your mail. Why rely on the Hogwarts' Post when you had your own? Besides, they were pretty badass.

He smiles as he looks around. Hmm. Wow. There were a lot of different species here. They ranged from small to massive.

"Oh yeah! I want this one. This is the biggest toad that I've ever seen!" His friend exclaims.

A toad? Really? Naruto was such a loser. He had the choice of an owl, a cat, a rat, or a toad. The only thing stupider than choosing a rat was the toad. Whatever. The loser could get what he wanted.

"I like this one." Sasuke says with a smile as he observes a regal looking Eagle Owl.

It was much cooler than some tabby or toad. Honestly, those two were strange. They had no sense of style.

"Are you sure, Sasuke? An owl is a big responsibility." Mikoto says.

"Oh let the boy have his fun. Besides, I had an Eagle Owl at that age. Just like that one." Her husband says.

Sasuke could see his mother was wavering, but she nods her head in consent. Good. If Itachi could have a Snowy Owl, he could have an Eagle Owl! It was only fair!

"I think that I'll call him, Garuda." Sasuke says with a smile, feeling rather proud of himself for finding such an awesome bird of prey to be his companion.

"This is Gamabunta! Isn't he amazing?" Naruto asks.

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever you say, Loser." Sasuke taunts him.

Just then, Sakura picks out her pet cat. That was probably a good thing. Most likely, she had prevented them from getting into one of their world famous fights. Well that or infamous. Either way worked, really.

"I'll take this one. She's got such beautiful snowy white fur. I think I'll name her…Katsuyu." The pink haired girl says.

Sasuke nods and shrugs. It was as good a name as any really and they still had a lot of shopping to do. At this point, he figured that Sakura was coming with them for the rest of their excursion.

He figures he might as well work on his best man speech as well. Naruto might actually like this girl. Like like her. Not just as a friend, but as a girlfriend. Sasuke could be wrong though. It wasn't like he was an expert on love at age eleven. (Though he was damn sure that he knew more than Naruto did about the topic)!

"Alright. Well I suppose we should go and get your books next." Sakura's father says.

Idly, Sasuke muses that he probably should learn their names at some point. Oh well. He could do that later. This was perhaps the only time in his life that he had ever enjoyed shopping really.

It was as day of firsts. His first personal owl. His first wand. His first Hogwarts School Supplies Shopping Day. The young wizard knew that he was unlikely to ever forget it really.

"That would likely be a good idea." Minato agrees as they all headed off.

* * *

The rest of the day passed in something of a blur. Sasuke was happy because he had his pet and his wand. Everything else was a requirement. Though he did mourn the fact that he couldn't bring a broom with him. That just sucked.

"Don't worry. Maybe we can make the team next year. First Years never make the team." Naruto sighs as they finish up for the day, a few hours later.

"What team?" Sakura asks in confusion.

Sasuke sighs. He really needed to get her to read more of Hogwarts A History or something. Oh well. She was annoying, but in this case it wasn't her fault.

Sakura came from a completely different world. She was completely Muggleborn. It wasn't like Naruto's father who was from a pureblooded family and Kushina who came from a Muggle one.

"The Quidditch Team. Think of it as being similar to soccer on broom sticks. You fly through the air after the balls." He says.

There was no mix. Sakura came from a completely Muggle background. That meant that everything was new to her. It was only natural that she had lots of questions. (That didn't make it any less annoying to have to explain every little detail though, but he was really trying his best to be patient).

"Oh. That's cool! Have you two ever played before?" She asks.

"A little. Mostly informally." Sasuke says.

"We play all the time. I'm totally going to be Captain one day. Believe it! It's my dream!" The blonde says.

Sasuke smacks his forehead. Yes, his lifelong dream was to be Captain of the Quidditch Team and eventually go on to play professionally. Just like 90% of other eleven year old boys. It was very realistic!

"He's pretty good. Most likely because he has a really thick skull." Sasuke says knowledgeably.

"Don't let the Tough Guy Act fool ya. He can be nice. Well when he wants to be. Sasuke is probably just trying to scare you away because he's worried that you'll become my new best friend. That's stupid though. My mother told me that people can have more than one best friend." The blonde observes.

"If you have more than one of them, then it's not really a BEST friend. I'm so not worried about that though." Sasuke says as he crosses his arms and looks away from his friend.

He and Naruto had been inseparable since they were babies. Naruto was like a second brother to him. Sasuke couldn't imagine life without his shadow.

Well that was a bit debatable, he guessed. Maybe, he was the shadow. Naruto was definitely the more sunny between them. Sasuke was good at socializing with his family and Naruto, but mostly kept to himself otherwise.

"No, my foolish little brother. That's actually true." Itachi leans down slightly and pokes him in the forehead.

"Owe! You always do that!" He grumbles.

"It's just how I say that I love you. Would you rather that I hug you and embarrass you in front of your little girlfriend?" He asks.

Sasuke sputters with outrage! His girlfriend?! Itachi was kidding, right?! He did not like Sakura that way.

That and he didn't have time for a girlfriend. He wanted to become a powerful wizard like Itachi. A wizard that his father could be proud of. Who had time for girls?! Pft.

"You're mad! Stark, raving mad!" Sasuke hisses at him.

"Whatever you say. We should probably be going though. It's getting pretty late." Itachi observes.

"He's right. Well it was lovely meeting all of you and it's so nice to know that Sasuke will have at least two friends at school. Hopefully, they'll all get sorted into the same House." Mikoto says.

Sakura's parents seem to agree with that and thank the magical families for showing them around. With that being said, they departed with their daughter in two. Sasuke lets out a sigh of relief.

It was over. No marriage proposals today. Though he figured that he had to go to school with her for seven years. Seven long years. Merlin, help him!

"Oh don't look so forlorn. You'll see her again." Minato offers good-naturedly.

Sasuke blinks. He knew that Naruto's father was only trying to help, but he really wasn't. Why were adults so obtuse sometimes. He wanted to focus on learning magic, but if Naruto got a girlfriend that was going to be difficult.

Oh well. If the loser wanted one, that was fine. He'd find a way to tolerat whatever witch caught his fancy. That wasn't going to stop him from achieving his dream though!


	2. Could His Life Get Any Weirder?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke's life gets a whole lot weirder as soon as he steps onto the train and heads off to Hogwarts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Chapter Notation: We are going to be introducing a lot of new characters in this chapter. I am also going to adjust some characters ages for the sake of the story. These changes won't be too drastic though.

_He was going to die._ Sasuke just knew it. He was most assuredly going to die. The young wizard was never going to live long enough to have to worry about taking N.E.W.T.S. like his brother. He just knew it.

"Mother, I think that you're holding Sasuke a little too tightly. He's starting to turn blue." Itachi says, a few days after the trip to Diagon Alley.

"Oh right. Right. I'm sorry, Sasuke. It's just that you'll always be my baby. I'm just so proud of you for going off to Hogwarts. You're a big boy now." She says with a smile.

Oh Dear Lord, the woman was probably going to start crying again. Sasuke never understood why women cried so much why they were _happy_. It didn't make any sense.

"Yes, mother. I know. I'm going to miss you too." Sasuke says with a smile, once the woman had released him from the Huggle of Doom.

His mother was a lot stronger than she looked. Damn. When people described bone crushing hugs, Sasuke had always been under the delusion that they were kidding. Apparently, they weren't.

"Itachi, be a good lad and look out for your brother." Fugaku says.

"I will father. I'll try to make sure that Peeves doesn't traumatize him too much." Itachi says.

"Oh Dear Lord, that thing is still around?" Mikoto asks with a dramatic sigh.

Sasuke snorts in amusement. Oh yes, Peeves was still around. That and he was still very much causing as much mischief as possible for the students and faculty of Hogwarts alike, according to Itachi.

"Yes, he's still around. Unfortunately, that Poltergeist just doesn't know when to leave well enough alone. He was absolutely ghastly to everyone when I was a First Year. I expect he'll target Sasuke because he looks like me." Itachi says with a sigh.

"Why would he target me for looking like you?" Sasuke inquires warily.

That didn't sound good. Great. Now he was going to have to deal with some half mental ghost. What a lovely way to start his Hogwarts Career, he thinks to himself sarcastically.

"In my third year, I might have sent my Patronus after him last year. He was harassing some Second Years. It was a bit annoying. So I thought that I'd give him a taste of his own medicine. He's held a grudge ever since." Itachi explains with a shrug.

Sasuke blinks. A Patronus was some really advanced magic! He wondered, if Itachi would teach him or if it was just part of a Sixth Year's regular classes.

"Can you teach me how to do that? Do you get to pick what form your Patronus takes?" The younger Uchiha asks excitedly.

"I might be able to teach you in time, but no. You don't get to choose what form your Patronus takes. That's just something that happens naturally. Anyway, you have a long way to go before your up to performing such advanced magic. You've taken your first step though. You've got yourself a good wand. You'll just have to work your way up from there." His brother informs him.

"Alright. Bye, Mother. Bye, Father." Sasuke gives his parents a brief hug, before darting off behind Itachi.

He really didn't know how they were actually going to get to the Hogwarts' Express. There was a Nine and a Ten. He didn't see anything between those numbers. Itachi would know though. He was sure of it.

"Were they like that with you?" He asks.

"No. They were way worse. Parents are parents. It doesn't matter whether you're the youngest or the eldest. Now, follow me. I'll show you the way." Itachi winks as he races head first towards a brick wall.

"ITACHI! WAIT! DON'T!" Sasuke calls out in horror.

Was he crazy? The other boy was going to get himself killed! You didn't run into brick walls! That was stark, raving mad! Had his brother completely taken leave of all his senses?

That's when he blinks when he sees that Itachi had just vanished into the wall. Where the bloody Hell had his brother gone? That's when he looks back and sees his parents giving him an encouraging wave.

"Just run into it. It'll be alright. It's a good idea to run the first time. Don't worry about it. Most people are nervous the first time, that they do it." Fugaku tells Sasuke.

"Right. Well here goes nothing." Sasuke sprints into the wall.

He had expected pain. Sasuke knew that his brother had apparently gone through it, but instinct was as powerful thing. He blinks when he emerges on the other side only to find hundreds of students boarding the train.

"Kid, you should see the look on your face! That's priceless. Damn. You can always tell the First Years by the petrified looks on their faces." A blue skinned man says as he approaches Itachi and Sasuke.

Sasuke wasn't exactly sure what Kisame's deal was. He was one of the Seventh Years that Itachi hung out with. Most of Itachi's closest friends were Fifth Years and up though he got along well with Naruto.

The man had blue skin, hair, skin like a shark, and gills. Maybe, he had attempted a really complex Transfiguration Spell and gotten stuck? Though Sasuke did occasionally wonder about other possibilities. Maybe Kisame was half merman?

"Don't tease him. We all had that look on our faces when we were his age. Anyway, let's get going. We wouldn't want to miss the express. I'm certain that Sasori and Deidara have saved our usual compartment by now." Itachi says.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? It's one thing for Sasuke to be around the Akatsuki with your parents around, but at Hogwarts is another matter. I don't think the kid can keep up. Wouldn't really be fair to expect him to. I doubt he can even levitate a feather at this point." The boy says.

The Akatsuki were what Itachi's friends called themselves. Most of them had been inseparable for years. They came from all four houses and every background imaginable, but they all had two things in common.

The first was that they were tremendously gifted in at least one area. The second was that they were more than willing to break or at least bend the rules. They were all exceptionally good at not getting caught doing their pranks (or in Itachi's case sneaking into the Restricted Section).

"I wouldn't underestimate him, Kisame. He showed his magic early and it was fire magic. He scared my Aunt silly. Though you're right. I don't think he can levitate a feather. Why? Do we need feathers levitated for some reason and if we do, are you not capable of doing this yourself?" Itachi asks dryly.

"That's not the point. We don't need any feathers floated. I'm just saying that he's a First Year. The poor kid would be in over his head. Wait. He did what? Damn. He really is your kid brother. Good job there, Shrimp." Kisame says with a chuckle.

"My name isn't Shrimp! It's Sasuke!" The younger Uchiha practically snarls at him.

He didn't care if Kisame was bigger. He was a Seventh Year. Sasuke was a First year. Of course, he was going to be a lot bigger than him. Besides, Sasuke wasn't a Shrimp. He was tall for his age!

"Feisty too. Well I guess it's okay, if he wants to tag along." The older classman say s.

"I don't need to tag along! I'll just find Naruto and we'll find another compartment!" Sasuke says.

"Are you sure, Sasuke? Most compartments are already claimed by the older students and it can be difficult to find one." Itachi asks.

Sasuke nods his head determinedly. He could do this. That and as much as he loved Itachi, he wanted to be known as his own person. The young wizard didn't want to be known as JUST Itachi's kid brother for the rest of his life.

"I'm sure. I can do it. I'm not a little kid anymore." He says.

"My foolish little brother, it doesn't matter how old or how big you get. You'll always be my brother. Alright. I'll see you at the feast. There's approximately a 25% chance we'll be sorted into the same house and if not, well I'll see you around Hogwarts." Itachi tells him as he flicks his forehead.

"Owe! Stop doing that! Whatever. I'll see you when we get there." Sasuke grumbles as he leaves behind two chuckling older students.

He knew that he'd find Naruto easily enough. The blonde's hair stuck out and he was insanely loud. How hard could it be, even in this sea of flesh and madness.

* * *

A few minutes later, he sees a flash of pink and sighs to himself. He doubted there were two people with pink hair on this train. It had to be Sakura. With that in mind, Sasuke heads closer and that's when all Hell broke loose.

"So you're really from Ireland?" Naruto asks a red head.

The red head was probably another First Year. He was short, but there was something about him that screamed dangerous. It was probably those black markings around his eyes.

"Yes, I'm from Ireland. Why?" The other kid asks, clearly not in the mood for socializing in the way that Naruto was.

"Well you don't have an accent. Irish people usually have this really funny accent!" The blonde says.

"You stereotypical bastard! I'll teach you to make fun of the Irish!" The other boy says as he prepares to throw a punch at the sapphire eyed wizard.

Sakura screams in terror, but Sasuke manages to blow the punch. It was a close call. The Irish boy might be small, but damn he was strong and fast.

"I'm Sasuke. That idiot over there is Naruto. The screamer is Sakura. Who the Hell are you and why are you hitting the idiot for being an idiot?" He demands.

"I'm Gaara and I believe you just answered your own question. He was being an idiot!" Gaara says.

"Hey! It was just a question! I wasn't making fun of Irish people. I just like their accents is all." Naruto whines.

Sasuke sighs. He couldn't exactly blame Gaara for overreacting. It was likely he got those sorts of comments all the time and had a chip on his shoulder about it. That and it wasn't like the bubbly blonde came with an instruction manual.

"Yeah! You didn't have to try to hit him over that! That was mean!" Sakura says.

"Stay out of this bubblegum. This doesn't concern you." Gaara hisses at her and Sasuke smacks his forehead.

Great. Now, Sakura was just making a bad situation worse. He was going to have to do something or else they might all get expelled before they were even Sorted!

"Maybe, it doesn't concern her. It concerns me though. That's my friend. I'm not going to let you hit him. It doesn't matter how stupid he's being and believe me, he can be pretty stupid." Sasuke warns him.

"That's right! Hey, wait a minute! You're such a bastard!, Sasuke!" Naruto growls at him.

Before the red head could respond, two other students had walked over. It looked like they weren't First Years either. One was a blonde girl and the other was a boy with brown hair who wore a lot of purple makeup.

"Gaara, we found a compartment. Oh hello, I'm Temari. This is my brother Kankuro and you've already met Gaara, I guess." The girl introduces herself.

"Yeah. If you call him trying to punch our friend, meeting him!" Sakura says.

"You don't know Gaara. That's normal for him. Sorry about all that. Come on. We don't wanna lose our compartment." Kankuro says and with that the three siblings leave.

Sasuke blinks. That was weird. Nevermind. He probably didn't want to know. Eventually, they find compartment with some room in it.

* * *

This time they found three other First Years sitting inside it. Sasuke knew that they were First Years because they didn't have robes that were in any of the Houses traditional colors.

"Do you mind if we join you?" Naruto asks a shy looking girl.

"Oh n-no. It's okay. Plenty of r-room." She stammers.

Stuttering. Great. She was definitely shy. Well maybe she'd be quieter than Sakura. That was always a plus.

"Thank you." Sasuke says as he sits down next to a boy who had a puppy in his lap.

"I'm Kiba. That's Hinata. The other boy is Shino. You guys all First Years too? The canine lover asks.

"Yeah. We are. I'm Sasuke. The blonde is Naruto. The girl is Sakura." Sasuke says.

He notices that the boy with glasses called Shino gave them a polite nod, but that was it. He was too engrossed in his book to do otherwise. That boy was definitely going to be a Ravenclaw, Sasuke thinks to himself.

"So what do you guys think? There's some pretty weird looking people out there, especially the Seventh Years." Kiba says conversationally.

"Kiba! That's not nice to make fun of how someone looks!" Hinata scolds him.

"The guy had blue skin! Another was half black and half white. There's also this guy and girl with lots of metal on their face." Kiba defends himself.

"What's so odd about the second one? There are lots of people of biracial people." Sakura points out.

"No. He means Zetsu. He's literally got half of his body that's white and the other half is black. He's one of my brother's friends. The blue skinned one is Kisame. The metals are Konan and her boyfriend, Pain." Sasuke explains.

Everyone but Naruto look at Sasuke in surprise. He shrugs. Sometimes there were benefits to having an older brother. You knew stuff like that.

"Do they naturally look like that?" Shino asks curiously.

"I don't know really. Oh look, the Trolley is coming." Sasuke says as the group looks outside.

Some children were heading towards it. There was a group of Second Years in particular who had gotten there first. They only knew that them to be Second Years based on their robes.

Two were Hufflepuffs and one was a Ravenclaw. The girl had brown hair done in two buns and doe eyes. The Hufflepuff boy had really bushy eyebrows. Finally, the last one had lavender eyes and long brown hair. Lavender eyes that were very familiar.

"Are you two related?" Sasuke asks Hinata.

"Y-Yes. That's my cousin. His name is Neji. His friends are Tenten and Lee." The bluenette stammers out nervously.

This girl clearly suffered at best shyness and at worst social anxiety. Hopefully, she was put in Hufflepuff. Sasuke couldn't imagine the girl surviving with the lions, the snakes, or the eagles.

"Well that's cool. It's always nice to have family around." Naruto says brightly.

"How would you know? You're an only child." Sasuke asks incredulously.

"Well you're LIKE my brother! So that's close enough, really!" The blonde retorts indignantly, his cheeks heating up.

Sasuke was about to tease Naruto for blushing, when he hears some more people coming down the hallway towards the trolley. Another set of three it seemed.

This time it was a blonde girl, a sleepy looking boy, and a plump kid. They seemed to be friends. Again, they were First Years. No House colors.

"Do you have any more cauldron cakes?" The orange haired boy asks.

"Oh yes, Dear. We have that and more." The Trolley Lady says.

"What a drag. I wonder how long it's going to be before we get there." Another boy says with a loud yawn.

Sasuke didn't find these three very interesting and was about to ask Shino what he was reading, when Sakura intervened. She prances over to the other group and Sasuke sighs. He didn't know what was about to happen, but he doubted that it was going to be good.

"Ino Pig! What are you doing here?!" Sakura demands.

"Sakura?! You're a witch?!" The blonde asks in an equally shocked voice.

Oh boy. The two of them were likely both Muggleborns. That or maybe Ino was a Half-Blood. Well he supposed it was possible that she was a Pureblood from a lesser known family, but he doubted it.

Her reaction was more like a Half-Blood or Muggleborn who couldn't believe someone else had joined her in this strange new world. Well at least that was Sasuke's opinion.

"Yeah! I am. Wow. I guess they are letting anyone in." Sakura says.

"What did you say?!" Ino growls at the other girl.

"You heard me! If they'll let you in, they'll let anyone in." The pink haired witch replies slyly.

Sasuke sighs and glances at Naruto. The two of them were clearly going to have to break up this fight. If this kept up, Sasuke was confident that hair pulling would be next.

"Hey, knock it off. I already broke up one fight today. I don't want to have to break up another." Sasuke says as he approaches him with Naruto at his side.

"Yeah! Two pretty girls like you shouldn't be fighting, anyway. We're about to go to Hogwarts. It's going to be the most amazing adventure ever! Believe it! So why waste our time fighting?" Naruto asks.

"I guess you're right. We're about to learn all kinds of magic. Who cares if Ino Pig gets to play too?" Sakura asks.

Sasuke blinks. He couldn't believe that actually worked. It must be some kind of magic. He could start fires. Maybe, Naruto had some sort of subtle mind control thing going on.

Now that would be ironic. Naruto was his best friend, but he wasn't always the brightest bulb in the box. Oh well. Whatever worked. Sasuke wasn't going to argue with the results.

"This is such a drag. Will you two stop fighting? We're likely going to be arriving soon." Shikamaru says.

"Fine! She started it though!" Ino says as she prances back to the lazy looking boy and Choji just sighs as he eats a cauldron cake.

"Yeah. It's not very youthful to fight!" The busy browed kid says.

Sasuke tilts his head. Were those actual eyebrows or caterpillars? He honestly wasn't sure. It would likely be rude to ask though.

"Right. Well in the interest of good manners. I'm Neji. This is Lee and that's Tenten." The long haired boy says as he introduces everyone.

"Shikamaru and that's Choji. Oh and as everyone has probably guessed from their troublesome bickering, that's Ino." He says.

* * *

It took awhile, but eventually everyone was introduced. A few hours later, the train lands. That's when they saw a rather massive looking old man standing outside. He was clearly waiting to greet them.

Sasuke had never seen a larger looking man in his life. This had to be Hagrid. He made even Kisame look short and that was not an easy task.

"I guess we're supposed to go with the giant." A white haired boy observes.

Smack! The very same boy was suddenly smacked by a red headed girl. Though Sasuke privately thought that maybe hot pink was more accurate. Either way, that looked like it hurt. A lot.

"Owe! What was that for?!" The boy demands.

"You don't just call someone a giant like that. That's rude!" She screams at him.

"Whatever, Karin. Stop being such a goodie two shoes. It's annoying." The other student replies.

Sasuke sees an orange haired boy watching them and sighing. The first two were obviously in the same year as him, but the other one wasn't. He was too big. That and he had on Hufflepuff Robes.

Apparently, he was used to this type of behavior from them. It looked like the Puff was actually trying to break up the fight. Well good luck to him. Those two were now going at it like cats and dogs.

"Suigetsu, will you stop antagonizing her? I can't stay here. I gotta go with the others." Jugo says.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'll play nice. It'd be such a jerk move to hold everyone up just because Karin is having another temper tantrum." He says with a sigh as the other boy heads off.

"You Missy best not be slapping folks. That's not nice and could get you detention or even expelled. Though you Mr. really shouldn't be sayin' stuff like that. Very impolite. Anyway, my name is Hagrid. I'll be taking you to Hogwarts. Everyone step inside a boat and we'll head off." He says.

That's when Sasuke notices that there was a really big lake and a lot of boats. Apparently, they were expected to get in them. He quickly gets into one and gestures for Naruto to follow suit. Not surprisingly, Sakura does as well.

Damn. That girl was like their shadow now. Merlin, he really hoped that he got in a different House than her!

"This is really cool! We'll be at Hogwarts soon and then we can get sorted!" Naruto says excitedly.

"Yeah. I hope we all get put in the same House." Sakura says with a smile.

Sasuke doubted that. As much as he hated to say it, he and Naruto couldn't be more different. It was unlikely they would get placed in the same House.

Maybe, the Sorting Hat would take pity on him. He could beg to be put in the same house as his best friend. Itachi had told him that sometimes the Hat took your preferences into account. There was a slim possibility that he could get lucky.

"I'm sure we will!" Naruto says confidently.

He doubted it though. Without Naruto, that meant he was either going to be alone or he would have to make more friends. Sure, he'd still see Naruto around the school and they could hang out. It wouldn't be the same though.

"I guess we're about to find out." Sasuke says.

* * *

A few minutes later, they make their way across the lake and into the school. It took awhile, but they eventually sorted everyone into alphabetical order.

This made sense because that's how their names were going to be called. Rather than waste time having everyone fight their way through the crowd when their name was called, this would prevent at least some chaos.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. I'm your Headmistress. Minerva Mcgonagall. You're all about to be sorted into your House. There are four. Each House has produced fantastic witches and wizards and every one of them is worthy of respect. While you are here, your House will be like your second family. Your successes will earn House Points. Your transgressions will cost you points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points will earn the House Cup. That is considered a great honor. Are there any questions?" She inquires.

There was silence. That was rare. Sasuke could scarcely recall a time when this many children had ever been quiet. The woman certainly had a gift.

"Wonderful. When I call your name, you will be Sorted. The Sorting Hat will be placed on your head and it will tell you where you belong. At that time, you will proceed towards your House's tables. Let's begin." Minerva says with a smile.

This was the moment of truth. Whatever that Hat said was going to determine how the next seven years of his life would go. Damn it. Sasuke Uchiha couldn't believe that his future was in the hands (well fabric) of a bloody talking Hat! Could his life get any weirder?


	3. Alphabetical Order

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The First Years are sorted and Sasuke has never hated alphabetical order so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. I hope you all enjoy the Sorting Chapter. For anyone who is interested, I will put a list at the top of the next chapter featuring all the different Houses' respective students for your convenience. With that being said, I think it's time to sort our young witches and wizards.
> 
> Chapter Notation: I made up this particular sorting song. Though obviously, the Sorting Hat and concept of Sorting Songs in general all belong to J.K. Rowling. Once again, I own nothing. I own absolutely nothing related to Harry Potter and Naruto and make no profit off of any of these fanfictions. Happy reading.

Sasuke could hear his heart pounding in his ears as he looks around the Grand Hall. It really was beautiful. The ceiling was enchanted to look like a starry night sky and there were likely thousands of candles floating everywhere. Any other time, he would have been focused on that. Not today though.

"Did you know that the ceiling is under an enchantment? That's why it looks that way." Karin asks Sasuke as they were waiting for the Hat to sort the first student.

He actually didn't know that particular detail about Hogwarts. That was mildly interesting, if somewhat obvious. It would be pretty stupid to have a Grand Hall without a roof. Just from a practical standpoint.

"Really?! How do you know that?" Naruto asks the red head excitedly.

"I read about it in Hogwarts A History! It's filled all sorts of interesting stuff. Hmm. You look kinda familiar though. What's your name?" The young witch inquires.

Well the loser was apparently making friends already. That was good. The more people Naruto got along with, the better. That would increase his chances of finding at least someone that he could hang out with in his House. Someone besides him.

Sasuke was almost positive that they weren't going to be in the same House. They were best friends, but he and Naruto couldn't be more different. They were still like night and day. The odds of the Sorting Hat putting them in the same place were depressingly low.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Nice to meet you." The blonde says cheerfully.

"Uzumaki? My last name is Uzumkai. I thought I had seen you somewhere before. It must have been at our family reunion. I'm Karin Uzumaki." She says.

The raven haired boy watches this family reunion with mild interest. That was nice. Naruto did have family here after all. Family that was actually biologically related to him.

The fact that they didn't recognize each other immediately though meant that it was likely distant. At most, she was probably some second cousin or something. Still blood was blood.

"Oh no! Merlin, help us all. There are now TWO of them." Suigetsu observes with a groan drawing glares from both Uzumakis.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Naruto demands.

"Just that she's loud and annoying. It might run in the family." The white haired boy says.

Shockingly, it was the red head from earlier that decides to step in and break up a potential bloodbath. Gaara walks over and stands between the angry Uzumakis and Suigetsu. Sasuke wasn't sure what the Irish boy was planning, but he doubted it was good.

"Will the three of you stop your pointless bickering? If you don't shut up, someone might not hear their name called." He hisses at them.

Sasuke shivers. Damn. Gaara had a scary voice. How did he get his voice to do that? He had that whole psycho serial killer thing going on.

Perhaps that didn't matter though. It didn't matter how Gaara did it. What mattered as the fact that suddenly the three bickering students suddenly stopped fighting. Apparently, not even they wanted to annoy the red head further.

"Geez. Sorry. He was just being a prat, you know?" Naruto asks.

That was probably a smart move on their part. The other boy was small, but something told Sasuke that he was one vicious fighter. For goodness sake's, even his brother and sister seemed scared of him.

"You're all being prats." Gaara says as he rolls his eyes.

Sasuke sighs in relief as it seemed the worst of it was over. The last thing that any of them needed was to get into a fight before they were even Sorted. That was definitely not a good way to make start off one's Hogwarts Career.

That's when things started to get even more strange. The Sorting Hat suddenly decides to burst into song. Well kinda. It was more like a rap.

**_"Look at all of you, frightened as a mouse."_ **

**_"You don't need to worry about me though."_ **

**_"I'll make sure that you find the right House."_ **

**_"Wrap you up in a little bow and point you where you ought to go."_ **

**_"Though I suspect that most of you, think you know."_ **

**_"I can tell by the look on your face, but that isn't always the case."_ **

**_"So put me on. I'll sort you with grace and see where you belong."_ **

**_"Trust me. I've never been wrong about this."_ **

**_"If you don't believe me, just ask the Head Miss."_ **

Sasuke blinks. Well that was different. Apparently, Itachi had forgotten to tell him about the Hat's love of music.

"Shino Aburame!" Minerva's voice rings out and with that, the young wizard darts off over to the Sorting Hat.

The youngest Uchiha watches curiously as the Hat is placed on the book lover's head. The Hat was talking, but he couldn't hear what it was saying. Apparently, Shino could though because his lips were moving. He was responding to something the Hat had said or maybe he was begging to be put in a certain house.

**"Difficult. You clearly have the mind of a Ravenclaw, but you have the ambition of a Slytherin. Slytherins can be quite cunning though. So two Houses are known to overlap a bit** ** _."_** The Sorting Hat observes.

"Thank you. I think." Shino replies.

**"Hmm. Well your intelligence is more of an animal cunning. So we shall say… SLYTHERIN!"** The Sorting Hat roars out and suddenly there was applause everywhere.

Sasuke notes with amusement that it was easy to tell which tables belonged to the Serpent House. The students at those ones were cheering the loudest. Clearly, they were happy to have a new member.

Not surprisingly, he had another way to tell. Kisame was a Slytherin. He knew that much. His blue skin always stuck out. So with that in mind, Sasuke had correctly identified at least one of the four Houses with ease.

"Chouji Akimichi!" The Headmistress shouts, after Shino was seated.

The pleasantly plump boy quickly scurries over to the Hat. Sasuke notes with some amusement, that the hat didn't seem to be taking as long with this one. The other boy didn't seem to want to debate the matter.

**"Hmm. Another difficult one to place. My first instinct is Hufflepuff. You're kind, honest, and hardworking. You're also brave though. A quiet bravery. Perhaps in time it will become less quiet and you will roar like a lion. GRYFFINDOR!"** The hat decrees and with that, Choji rushes over to the Gryffindor Tables as the other students applaud for him.

"Thank you!" Choji calls out to the Sorting Hat, after he takes his seat at one of the Gryffindor Tables.

It was easy to tell which one was the Gryffindor side as well. Deidara was in it. That man's long blonde hair would stick out anywhere, Sasuke muses to himself.

How Deidara had ended up in Gryffindor and not Slytherin was something that Sasuke still didn't understand. Though he supposed the eccentric Fifth Year was brave in a reckless way. Oh well. It was none of his business.

"Sakura Haruno!" The elderly woman shouts out.

It was amazing, really. Sakura must have been the fastest girl that he had ever met because she was gone quicker than a flash. Sasuke supposed that she must have been eager to get sorted.

**"Interesting. You are highly intelligent, but I don't think that you'd do well amongst the introverted eagles of Ravenclaw. You're also very brave though. Well in that case, better be…GRYFFINDOR!"** The Hat says and with that, Sakura bolts over to the Lions' Side.

"Suigetsu Hozuki!" Minerva calls out.

That was all the prompting that the white haired boy needed. Suigetsu takes off towards the Hat. It didn't take long for him to start talking with it.

**"Well this is an easy one. You're definitely a Slytherin. Ruthlessly focused on your goals and not afraid to get dirty to achieve them. I like you. You are a little serial killer in the making. Considering all that, SLYTHERIN!"** The Hat thunders out.

"Thanks! I like you too!" Suigetsu says with a wink.

After that, Suigetsu proceeds to dash over to the Serpents' Table. Sasuke glances at Naruto. They were getting closer and closer to their names. It was only a matter of time before he was called.

"Don't worry, bastard. I'm sure that the Hat won't split us up." Naruto says as he tosses Sasuke a grin.

That grin that said everything was going to be alright. It was both comforting and made Sasuke want to knock the other boy's teeth out at time. How the bloody Hell could he be so calm at a moment like this?!

"Hinata Hyuga. Will you please come up here and be sorted?" The elderly woman asks.

Sasuke notes that Minerva seemed to be taking it easy on the poor girl. That was probably a good thing though. The girl really did look just like a frightened mouse. The Sorting Hat was right about that much as she runs up to it and the ancient magical object is placed on her head.

**"Hmm. Well you're certainly intelligent. Though I don't think you're suited for Ravenclaw. You're far too skittish to be a Gryffindor. You're not nearly ruthless enough to be in Slytherin. That means that there is only one place for a sweet little thing like you. HUFFLEPUFF!"** The Hat says.

"T-Thank you." Hinata stammers out as dashes over to Badgers' Tables.

Hufflepuff was easily identifiable as well. Zetsu was there. His skin condition made him stick out almost as much as Kisame in some ways. Hogwarts certainly had a diverse student body, Sasuke thinks to himself.

"Well that's good. I don't think she could have handled another House." Sasuke whispers to Naruto.

"Yeah. She's really nice, but so shy." Naruto agrees.

"Kiba Inuzuka!" The powerful witch bellows out.

Kiba didn't need to be told twice. The dog lover quickly heads up towards the Sorting Hat. It was a rather comical picture because Akamaru was trailing along after his owner.

Well Sasuke supposed if Hogwarts could allow owls, toads, rats, and cats…it was only fair to allow a puppy. Besides, the two of them were pretty damn attached at the hip. He wasn't really sure that either of them could function without the other at this point.

**"Well I see that you really like animals. Though you're easily sorted. You've got far too much energy to be sitting around in Ravenclaw reading books all day. You're not really ambitious enough for Slytherin and you wouldn't get along well with them. You've got a strict sense of right and wrong. Though you're far too aggressive to be Hufflepuff. That means that there's only one place for you. GRYFFINDOR!"** The Hat decrees.

"Wicked! We got Gryffindor, Akamaru!" The canine lover laughs happily and Akamaru barks in agreement.

As soon as the words left the Hat's mouth, Kiba and Akamaru head towards the Gryffindor Table. Sasuke blinks as he realizes that he had a lot of fast classmates. That boy and his little dog could really scoot.

"Next is Shikamaru Nara. Please come and be Sorted." The Headmistress orders the lazy looking boy.

**"Interesting. You have such a brilliant mind, but absolutely no ambition at all. Well I suppose that I have to put you in Ravenclaw. There's really no other house that fits you. RAVENCLAW!"** He decrees, shortly after being placed on Shikamaru's head.

"What a drag and I do so have ambition." Shikamaru protests half-heartedly as he yawns and walks over to the Ravenclaw Table.

Sasuke shakes his head. Shikamaru had to be the laziest of the bunch. He was the only one that didn't run towards his new house.

"Gaara Sabaku! Come and be Sorted." The woman demands.

Sasuke notes that her voice had a bit more bark in it when addressing the red head. The witch likely sensed what he already knew. The only way to get through a conversation with Gaara without him trying to punch you was for you to show absolutely no fear.

That was precisely how the red head acted as he walked towards the Sorting Hat. As feral as he was, there was a certain dignity to the walk. It was hard to articulate exactly. It was as if Gaara simply didn't give a damn where he was going to end up and wanted everyone to know that.

**"I don't believe that I've ever met such a wild mind before. You truly think like a predator. Well in that case, SLYTHERIN!"** The Hat shouts almost as soon as he touched Gaara's head.

"Whatever." Gaara replies, clearly not that into the whole affair.

After being Sorted, the red head bounds over to the Slytherin Table and Sasuke just shakes his head. Was there ever any doubt where that kid was going? He thought not.

That's when he pauses. Wait. Gaara's last name was Sabaku. That was an S name. That meant that he had to be coming up shortly.

"Sasuke Uchiha, please come up here and be Sorted." The Headmistress says as if she head just read his mind.

Sasuke was almost positive that she had. There were some types of magic that allowed you to do that and he certainly didn't know how to counter them. He decides to ask Itachi about such things later as he makes his way towards the Hat.

**"Difficult. I could see you in three of the four Houses. The only one that I should think you'd be completely miserable in is Hufflepuff. Tell me, do you have a preference?"** The Hat asks.

"I just want to be the same house as Naruto." Sasuke whispers to the Hat.

**"I remember every single student that I've ever Sorted. Believe me, it's a blessing and a curse. I've never sorted any Naruto."** The Hat informs him.

Damn it. He was so close to getting what he wanted. Unfortunately, Uchiha came before Uzumaki in alphabetical order. That meant the Hat didn't know what House Naruto was going to be in.

"You wouldn't have. His last name is Uzumaki. He's likely going to be sorted right after me. Put me wherever you like. I don't care. Just please have him put in the same House as me." Sasuke pleads with him.

**"I'm afraid that's now how this works. He'll go where he is destined to go. Do take some comfort in the fact there is a 25% chance he'll be Sorted with you. The bond of brotherhood is a powerful one, but it is not strong enough to rewrite centuries of tradition. Now, whatever shall I do with you?"** The Hat muses.

Sasuke sighs. He didn't care at this point. He really didn't. Naruto and Itachi were the only people in this school that really mattered to him. If he couldn't be with Naruto, hopefully he'd be put in Ravenclaw.

**"In that case, it really doesn't matter."** He replies.

**"Bravery isn't your dominant trait, but you're certainly not a coward. Though I think the Lions may be a little too old fashioned for you. Hufflepuff is definitely out for obvious reasons. Ravenclaw could be a good choice. Like your brother, you have a brilliant mind. There's also Slytherin. You're very ambitious and cunning. I believe those last two traits are your strongest though. With that in mind, SLYTHERIN!"** He decrees.

Slytherin. Sasuke feels his heart sink. There was no way that Naruto was going to be in Slytherin and Itachi was a Ravenclaw. His only consolation was that some of his brother's friends were in this House.

That was the last thought on his mind as he his mind shuts down. He was now on autopilot. He mindlessly walks over to the Slytherin Tables and looks around as he waits for Naruto to be Sorted.

"Karin Uzumaki!" Minerva calls out.

Oh. Right. Karin and Naruto shared the same last name. Of course, she was going to go first.

The red head quickly makes her way to the Sorting Hat. Sasuke idly muses that she must have had a strong preference because the Hat didn't take nearly as long with her as it did with him.

**"Hmm. Well you certainly have a strong mind, but you're a bit too fiery to be a Ravenclaw. Better be…GRYFFINDOR!"** The Hat shouts almost as soon as it was placed on her head.

"Thank you." Karin says with a smile as she prances over the Lions' Den.

Any minute now, Naruto would be called up. Sasuke just knew it. This was the moment that would determine how often the two of them would see each other while they were in school for the next seven years.

"Oh don't look so panicked. Just because it's not likely that Mr. Goodie Two Shoes will end up here, doesn't meant that you'll be miserable. You'll still have me. Don't worry about it, Shrimp." Kisame assures him.

"Why are you calling him a shrimp? He's not short." Gaara says.

"Oh look at that. It's a Super Shrimp defending the other Shrimp. Damn. You First Years stick together. Don't cha?" The Akatsuki Member asks with a chuckle.

Damn it. This was so not what Sasuke needed right now. Gaara was psychotic enough that he might actually have a go at Kisame. The scary thing was that Sasuke wasn't entirely sure who would win that fight either.

Kisame was a lot bigger and stronger, but Gaara had a lot of rage. That and the older student probably wouldn't go all out. Even Kisame had standards. It was doubtful that he'd REALLY want to hurt someone half his size, if that.

"I don't care that he's a First Year. It just irritates me when people say stupid and inaccurate things." Gaara snaps at him.

Sasuke blinks. The red head was defending him. Maybe. That or Gaara just had a REALLY short fuse.

"Naruto Uzumaki!" The elderly witch summons the bubbly blonde.

"COMING!" Naruto yells out as he bolts over towards the Hat and happily allows it to be placed on his head.

That was Naruto for you. He had boundless enthusiasm about everything. It was quite possible that the blonde didn't fully understand what had just happened yet though.

He didn't understand that their school years were now going to take drastically different courses. Sasuke would be in Slytherin and Naruto probably wouldn't. This was a disaster.

**"You know that Uchiha Boy specifically requested that you be put in the same House as him. The two of you seem close."** The Hat says conversationally.

"He did? Wow. Well that sounds like Sasuke. So you're going to put me in Slytherin then?" Naruto asks hopefully.

**"No. As cute as these little melodramas of yours are, I'm not going to break centuries of tradition over it. Besides, you're the most reckless and brave individual that I've ever felt. There can be only one House for you and I'm afraid that it's not Slytherin. GRYFFINDOR!"** He thunders out.

Sasuke sees Naruto frown at that declaration. He finally understood what was going on. They were begin separated. After being best friends for years, they wouldn't necessarily see each other every day anymore and that was hard to take.

It was Naruto though. He quickly puts on a cheerful smile and darts over to the other Lions. Sasuke sighs at this and downs his pumpkin juice in response.

"And finally, Ino Yamanaka would you kindly come up here and be Sorted?" Minerva inquires.

A blonde girl rushes up towards the Hat eagerly and Sasuke mentally rolls his eyes. This girl reminded him of a doll. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and way too perky for his tastes. Hopefully, she wouldn't be in Slytherin.

**"Hmm. You're quite determined one. You certainly aren't afraid to assert yourself. Well in that case, I know just where to put you. GRYFFINDOR!"** The Sorting Hat proclaims.

"That's right. I definitely am! Thank you." Ino says as she heads off towards her table and blows a kiss at the Sorting Hat.

**"Merlin, now I've seen everything. This is going to be most interesting group."** The Sorting Hat says to itself.

After she was Sorted, everyone burst into thunderous applause. Ino was the last one. That meant the ceremony was over and now it was time for Minerva to give her speech.

"Welcome to all of our returning students and our newest ones. I truly believe that this will be a great year. The competition for the Cup should be particularly fierce as we have an equal number of students in all four Houses. I'm not sure that's ever happened before." She begins.

Sasuke glances around the room. That seemed to be true. Every House looked equally represented. That was interesting.

"In any case, the bonds that you form here can truly last a lifetime. Hogwarts is what you make of it. So I suggest you make the best of it. Oh and everyone, please do NOT go into the Forbidden Forest. After you finish eating, you will all go to your rooms for the night. Classes start tomorrow morning." Minerva finishes quickly.

Everyone seemed to take that as an invitation to truly begin digging into the grand feast set before them. Sasuke had never seen so much food before in his life. It was enough to eat an army. Unfortunately, he wasn't hungry.

"You okay, man?" You're not eating." Suigetsu asks.

In a way, he had likely lost his best friend for the vast majority of the year. He'd be lucky to see Naruto between classes. They couldn't even try out for the Quidditch Team together this year. This was going to suck.

Sasuke sighs and gets another glass of pumpkin juice as he takes stock of his House Mates. Luckily most of them he'd either met on the train or were friends with his brother. That made things easier.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. It's just that my friend got Sorted into another House." Sasuke says.

There wasn't really a point in lying about something like that, especially when he knew about half of his Housemates well already. Immediately, he could see Kisame, Hidan, Kakuzu, Suigetsu, Gaara, and Shino to his left and right.

Well if nothing else, he had an interesting house. Gaara was psychotic. Suigetsu apparently was mischievous. Kisame, Hidan, and Kakuzu were mercenaries who were likely going to take over the world one day and then there was Shino. Shino the enigma.

"Oh yeah. That sucks. Sucks big time. Don't worry about it though. Obviously, we're the coolest House in this school." Suigetsu says with a wink.

"WHAT'D YOU SAY?!" Karin demands, having overheard him.

The Gryffindors were also an interesting bunch. The lions had Ino, Kiba, Karin, Naruto, Sakura, Choji, and Deidara. Gryffindor really was just another word use to describe an extremely loud person, Sasuke muses.

"I said that we're the coolest House. You got a problem with that, you damn banshee?" The violet eyed youth retorts.

"She might not, but I do. Clearly, Hufflepuff is the best!" Tenten calls out.

Hufflepuff was an interesting mix. Sasuke wondered if maybe, Hufflepuff was just the House you went into when you didn't fit anywhere else. It certainly looked like it because it had quite the diverse set of characters. Zetsu, Tenten, Hinata, Jugo, Kankuro, Lee, and Haku were the main students that made up Hufflepuff. Well the ones that Sasuke could see anyway.

Sasuke knew a couple dozen of Hogwarts' hundreds of students. He doubted that would matter much though. It wasn't like he was going to have to list every single student in the school on his Final Exams. He knew seven students from each House at least in passing and for now, that was good enough for him.

"You're all crazy." Temari says from Ravenclaw.

"Exactly. I'm glad that someone can see the foolishness in this debate." Itachi adds.

His brother's House finished the set and did so in style. Ravenclaw had Itachi, Sasori, Pain, Konan, Neji, Shikamaru, Temari in its ranks. Obviously, it was going to be a force to be reckoned with.

"Yeah! It is because we're the best!" Temari agrees.

Sasuke sees Minerva roll her eyes. It was obvious that the witch had seen this argument play out many times before. Hopefully, she would know how to settle it.

"As you are all bickering, I'll have the Prefects escort the First Years to their Dorms and the rest of you had best head off now. That is unless you wish to lose points before you even go to your first class." The witch warns them.

That woman was obviously not someone to be trifled with. As soon as she mentioned House Points, suddenly everyone transformed into perfect little angels. It was a bit frightening really.

Sasuke sighs as he follows Kisame. How Kisame had ended up in charge was a complete mystery to him, but he was too tired to argue. His first day at Hogwarts had been a long one, after all and it was all thanks to that stupid Hat!


	4. Different Houses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto and Sasuke must navigate being friends in a world where they aren't in the same House. Not only that, but Sasuke also has to deal with a meddling ghost, possibly insane House Mates, and Flying Lessons with an eccentric instructor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. Well I'm sorry about this. Somehow, I managed to misplace Chapter Four when making minor edits and thus had to do a rewrite. This should be pretty close to the original though. With that being said, happy reading and listed who is in what House below. The list in no particular order of importance and each House will at least start with the same number of members by the way.
> 
> Gryffindor: Naruto, Ino, Kiba, Karin, Sakura, Choji and, Deidara.
> 
> Hufflepuff: Tenten, Hinata, Jugo, Kankuro, Lee, Haku, and Zetsu.
> 
> Ravenclaw: Itachi, Pain, Konan, Shikamaru, Temari, Neji, and Sasori.
> 
> Slytherin: Shino, Gaara, Kisame, Hidan, Suigetsu and Kakuzu.

The next day, Sasuke was still sulking as he makes his way to his first Charms Lesson or tries to anyway. It seemed that Peeves was feeling rather intent to making that rather simple task, exceedingly difficult.

"That's not very youthful!" Lee yells at Peeves.

The ghost was blocking the quickest way to Charms and several other classes. This wouldn't end well. How the Hell were they supposed to deal with a bloody, brat of a ghost? They hadn't even passed their O.W.L.S. yet!

As Sasuke was contemplating that and whether or not, he should just take the long route, he sees a bright flash of light. That and he notices his brother was pointing his wand at the dastardly ghost.

"Expecto Patronum!" Itachi shouts as his Patronous chases Peeves off.

Sasuke blinks at that as several of his fellow younger classmen cheer. How the Hell did Itachi do that? Oh wait. It was Itachi. Of course, his brother could chase ghosts away. Hell, he probably tamed dragons in his spare time too.

"Are you alright?" Itachi asks Sasuke.

Sasuke nods dumbly. What else could he say at a moment like this? His brother had just scared off a 'wicked' spirit.

"Good. Now, get to class." The Ravenclaw laughs.

"You're such a bloody Ravenclaw. You just save us from an evil ghost and the first thing you say is get to class?" Sasuke questions his older brother incredulously.

He tries his best not to roll his eyes at his brother, but it was difficult. Very difficult as the Sorting Hat might say.

"Of course. I'm your older brother and your education is very important to me. Now, go." Itachi pokes his forehead playfully.

Sasuke sighs and darts off along with the other students. He normally would have protested the forehead poke, but honestly he just didn't have the time. He was going to be late to Charms!

"I-It's like a maze." A shy looking girl whispers as she follows him up the constantly moving stairways.

Hinata. He'd met her on the train and Sasuke vaguely recalls her being sorted into Hufflepuff. Not that it mattered much at the moment. The only reason she was running by him was because the First Year Slytherins and First Year Hufflepuffs.

"Definitely." Sasuke whispers back as he grabs the girl's hand and they jump across a staircase that was just now starting to move.

* * *

It took them probably the better part of five minutes, but somehow they managed to get to Charms. Luckily, their teacher didn't seem to mind the influx of nearly late students at the last minute.

"Let me guess. Peeves again?" She sighs as she places her hands on her hips.

There were a lot of nods. Apparently, this was a regular occurrence. Really, you'd think someone would do something about that ghost. Well besides, his older brother.

"Well let's not dwell on it. Today, I'm going to explain the basics of levitating a feather and if there is time, we'll try some Cheering Charms. Don't get too upset, if your feather doesn't float on the first try. That's actually rather rare and some of you might not be able to manage at all by the end of class. Actually, most of you probably won't." Mei nods at them.

How the woman managed to get that all out in one breath was utterly beyond Sasuke. Still, he was grateful to have found a professor who at least looked sane. Well sane and 'hot' as Suigetsu might say.

Sasuke still didn't get what the big deal about women with large melons was. Though Itachi's older friends always told him that he'd understand when he was older.

"I bet her Animagus is a cougar." Sasuke whispers to Suigetsu.

"Oh yeah." He laughs.

That's when Mei begins showing them how to levitate feathers. To say the least, their professor was right. Almost no one could figure out how to do it. The handful who had managed such as him seemed more shocked that they did than anything and Suigetsu was getting rather frustrated to say the least.

"Y-You need to make the O b-bigger." Hinata stammers at him.

Poor girl. It had probably taken all of her courage to say even that much to a Slytherin. Not that Sasuke could blame her. Hufflepuffs and Slytherins didn't usually get along that well.

Mostly because Hufflepuffs tended to think they were dark wizards and witches in the marking and Slytherins tended to view Puffs as pushovers. Then again, his father was always saying that opposites attracted and the few SlyPuff Marriages that did happen tended to be rather happy.

"L-Like this." Hinata mumbles.

She smiles and levitates her feather as if to demonstrate the proper way to do it. Sasuke had to admit the girl was good with Charms or at least with levitating feathers.

"Ten points for Hufflepuff for properly levitating a feather and trying to help someone else." Mei smiles.

That's when Suigetsu tries to copy Hinata's move, but it didn't go so well. He ends up hitting her in the back of the head with a feather. Damn it. They were definitely going to lose points for that.

"Minus one point for 'attacking' a teacher." Mei sighs as though she was greatly disappointed.

"What?! That's totally not fair! It wasn't on purpose." Suigetsu protests.

They were lucky that it was only one point, really. The idiot was going to cost them even more along the way, if he didn't shut up. Too bad Mei wanted to teach them how to levitate things and Cheering Charms first. A Silencing Charm would have been far more useful.

"I can take away more points for arguing with me, if you like." Mei raises an eyebrow as the other Slytherins immediately try to shush Suigetsu.

Sadly, Sasuke suspected that would be their task for the next seven years. Shushing Suigetsu so they didn't lose house points.

* * *

About an hour later, Sasuke was relieved to finally be at lunch. Lunch meant one thing, everyone would be here. He'd be able to see Naruto.

There was just one problem. The blonde was a Gryffindor and Sasuke was a Slytherin. They didn't sit anywhere near each other and the blonde looked irritatingly happy to be sitting with his fellow Gryffindors.

"You look like you want to kill someone." Gaara nods knowledgably.

That was disturbing. The red head actually sounded almost friendly there. Probably because he was hoping to get in on whatever Sasuke was supposedly plotting.

Their older classmates were ignoring them for the moment too. Which was frankly a relief because they were more Itachi's friends than anything. Oh and they were also insane. Perhaps not as insane as Gaara, but still insane.

"I'm just annoyed. My best friend looks like he's having the time of his life in Gryffindor and while I like my House, it's just not the same without him here."

Why he had admitted that to Gaara of all people, Sasuke had no idea. Perhaps because Gaara was the second quietest member of their House after Shino? So he wasn't likely to tell anyone.

"I'm still betting that Itachi will get a perfect score on his O.W.L.S by the time he's in fifth year." Kisame says to Kakuzu.

Oh right. That's why they were distracted. They were making a bet. Something that Kakuzu was very good at, but Sasuke was quite confident that Kisame would win this one. He was right. This was Itachi they were talking about.

"I'll take that bet. Everyone has a weakness. He's bound to get an Exceeds Expectations on something." Kakuzu laughs.

Well usually, they did. It was hard for Sasuke to imagine his brother getting anything less than an O though.

"It would have been nice if everyone had been sorted into Slytherin, but even I can tell that Itachi belongs in bloody Ravenclaw." Hidan groans.

Hidan had the foulest mouth that Sasuke had ever seen. Granted, most people cursed these days. It was just that Hidan could make a sailor blush.

"If you wanna see him that badly, just go over and talk him." The mini psycho's words jolt Sasuke out of his observations.

"What? They're Gryffindors though and I'm a Slytherin. They'd freaking lose it." Sasuke stares at Gaara like he had grown another head.

He had always known that the red head was crazy, but this was on a whole nother level. Didn't he understand that there was a long standing tradition of sitting with your House at lunch.

"It's simple. You want to see him. He's over there. So go over there. If they try anything, I'll hex them for you. I've been studying hexes recently. They're much more useful than floating spells and Cheering Charms." Gaara says as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Right. Gaara was studying hexes because that was so going to end well. Sasuke couldn't believe this.

"I'll go do it." He promises Gaara.

The last thing he needed was for his fellow Slytherin to think he was some kind of chicken. If that happened, Gaara might practice his hexes on him.

"What? You're leaving. No! You can't leave me alone with this guy!" Suigetsu flails.

Well that was just another reason to go to the Gryffindor Table, Sasuke thinks to himself as he strides over towards them. Suigetsu deserved to be panicking after losing their House ten points on his first day.

"Hey, Naruto." Sasuke smiles at the blonde, once he was firmly in Gryffindor Territory.

Naruto didn't seem to realize how much danger Sasuke had just put himself in. Well that was because he was a damn idiot, but he was Sasuke's damn idiot.

"Hey, Sasuke! How is everything? It's too bad we didn't get put in the same House, but is Slytherin treating you alright?" Naruto asks brightly.

Only Naruto could somehow make sunshine could out of his voice. Well when he wasn't squawking louder than a hippogriff anyway. Wait. Did hippogriffs squawk, Sasuke wonders to himself?

"It's going alright. It kinda sucks that you didn't get put in Slytherin, but we'll manage somehow. At least we've got flying lessons together." Sasuke replies.

Flying lessons would be fun. Sasuke was quite confident that he could beat the aspiring Quidditch Player on a broomstick and everything would go back to normal. It would be just like old times.

"Yeah!" Naruto grins at him.

"You would have made a great lion though. You're really cute." Sakura smiles at Sasuke.

She would have made a great flamingo, but unfortunately there were no Flamingo Houses. Seriously, what was he supposed to say to that? He wanted to be in Naruto's House, but he had been sorted into Slytherin and there was no way he was going to diss his House in front of its greatest rivals.

"Being cute doesn't have anything to do with where you're sorted. I should probably get going. I'll see you at Flying Lessons." Sasuke assures Naruto before heading back to his table with the other Slytherins.

* * *

Once lunch was over, Sasuke immediately scurries towards his Flying Lessons. Only to bump into someone. Someone who was warm, round, and squishy?

"Oh hey. You're Sasuke, right? Slytherins have Flying Lessons with us today. Do you mind if I tag along with you?" Choji asks hopefully.

Right. A Gryffindor. He looked relatively harmless to Sasuke though and they were going the same way anyway.

"Sure." Sasuke says as they walk off together.

It probably only took them five minutes to get there. Once they were outside, it wasn't hard to tell where the Flying Lessons were being held. A large group of First Years had gathered around in a circle.

"There you are. I guess you must have gotten lost in the crowd on the way here." Naruto smiles as he strides towards Sasuke.

"I didn't get lost. I knew exactly where I was going, but yeah this will be wicked. I hear that the Professor used to play Quidditch professionally." Sasuke smiles at Naruto.

True to form, Kakashi walks in. He was still young and likely in his late twenties, but the man's entire hair was as a gray as an old man's. So Sasuke mentally dubs it silver instead of gray due to Kakash's age.

"Yeah! I recognize him. He used to play for my favorite team." Naruto grins at Sasuke.

"I'm sorry for being late. I got lost on the road to life. Anyway, let's get started. Simply place your hand above your broom and say up. Of course, not everyone will manage this on the first try, but keep trying." Kakashi says as he pulls out a book and begins reading.

Sasuke recognized it as being some trashy romance novel. Honestly, you'd think the guy would know better than to read that sort of filth right in front of his students, but whatever.

"What kind of excuse is that?!" Sakura and Ino demand as they try to summon their brooms.

Kakashi just ignores them. Alright. He was a pervert, but at least he was a smart pervert, Sasuke observes.

"Up." Sasuke smiles as he summons his broom into his hand only a few seconds after Naruto.

"Ha! I got my broom up first." Naruto grins at him.

To which, Sasuke could only roll his eyes. Of course, the blonde had gotten his broom up first. Sasuke had been distracted by watching everyone else.

"That doesn't count. We didn't start at the same time." Sasuke growls at him.

As he was arguing with Naruto over whether it did or didn't count, the young Uchiha notices that more students were managing to get their brooms up. Some were still struggling though.

Hell, one broom was actually flying away from its owner. Kakashi of course was too busy to notice. He still had his head firmly lodged into that stupid book of his.

"Gaara's broom is flying away. We should go and get it." Sasuke says to Naruto.

Naruto nods and that's when he and the blonde get on their broomsticks and chase after Gaara's broom. It was quite the sight to behold. Sasuke could tell this because of all the cheering that was going on.

Faster and faster they went. Gaara's broom was determined. More than once Sasuke could feel the twigs of its end on his fingertips, but it was always just out of reach.

"Damn it!" This thing was harder to catch than the snitch.

"You can do it!" Suigetsu shouts encouragingly.

He wasn't the only one cheering them on though. Naruto's and Sasuke's names were being shouted with great vigor and frequency.

"You take the left. I'll take the right." Naruto orders Sasuke.

Normally, he would have told his friend where he could shove his orders, but he was right. Dividing up directions would give them a better chance at 'victory' in this case.

So they swerve and manage to reclaim Gaara's broom to joyous applause. For about thirty seconds, Sasuke was riding high on the excitement of victory until Kakashi decides to actually do something.

"Alright. Get down. That was very foolish to go after a broom like that with so little instruction, but I suppose it was my fault for not watching you more closely. So I'm going to make a deal with all of you, I won't give them detention if you don't mention this to anyone else." Kakashi sighs.

"Deal!" The class exclaims excitedly and so, that was how Sasuke's first official flying lesson went.

It hadn't gone the way he had hoped exactly, but he had gotten to spend time with Naruto. That and maybe, Gaara might be marginally less likely to hex him since Sasuke helped to retrieve the red head's broom.


	5. It Was an Accident!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the end of Sasuke's first year at Hogwarts draws to a close, an amusing accident happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Oh and as for story progression, this will be the last First Year Chapter.
> 
> Chapter Notation: There is a Christmas Scene, but that is not meant to carry a religious connotation in this story. This story makes is not intended to make any statement about any religious beliefs or the lack of them. House Points were selected at random. As for Fawkes, well I'm not really sure what he eats. So that part was added more for comedy than accuracy.

To say the least, Sasuke had an interesting First Year. Between Flying Lessons, exploding cauldrons in Potions (not his potions thankfully), strange magical beasts, the Akatsuki's pranks, and the rivalry between the different houses there was never a dull moment. At the moment, everyone was filing in for the end of the feast.

At first, it had been hard. It had been really hard to be away from Naruto for that much of the time. Gradually, he gotten used to it though. It still sucked, but not as badly. Well at least he had gotten to see him during Christmas Break.

_"Bastard! We did it! We made it to the holidays!" Naruto said happily as he tacklehugged the young Slytherin._

_They were currently at his family's house. They were celebrating Christmas. Thankfully, they had come home for the holidays. That meant he could see his best friend more._

_"Yeah. We did. So how is life with the loudmouths?" Sasuke asked with a smirk._

_"Hey! Don't insult my House! I mean yeah. They are loud, but they're all really nice!" The blonde protested._

_Sasuke could see his brother trying not to laugh by the tree. All of the Akatsuki Members were there. Later on, they were going to go to Naruto's house where Minato, Kushina, Sakura, and presumably a couple other First Year Gryffindors would be waiting for them._

_Yeah. Sakura was apparently going to be Naruto's shadow. Not that he could entirely blame her. The blonde was like the Sun. It was hard not to want to be around someone who was like a freaking living Patronus Charm._

_"I never said that they weren't nice. Just that they were loud." Sasuke said._

_"Alright. Alright. You two. Let's not have any fights. Let's open your presents!" Mikoto said._

_With that the boys, proceeded to do exactly that. The rest of the night was spent just like old times. Sasuke and Naruto were no longer separated by their Houses. They were just Sasuke and Naruto again. (Oh and the fact that they both got broomsticks for Christmas, well that was wicked too)!_

"There is no way that we are going to win the Cup and it's all thanks to Kisame's and Hidan's loud mouths." Sasuke mutters to Shino and Gaara.

"Idiots." Gaara says and Shino nods in agreement.

In the past few months, Sasuke had gotten to know his Housemates better. Shino was okay. He was just really, really quiet. Kisame, Hidan, and Suigetsu were the real troublemakers. Kakuzu was just a greedy bastard and then, there was Gaara.

Sasuke STILL didn't understand Gaara. In some ways, the red head was an even bigger enigma than Shino. The Uchiha didn't think that the other boy was shy, but he was quiet. Less quiet than Shino, but still.

"Oh come on, brat. You know that it was funny." Kisame protests.

"I can't believe you asked the nurse if she used an Engorgement Charm on her breasts!" Sasuke hisses at him.

_"No way! He didn't really do that? Did he?" Naruto asked as he and Sasuke were hanging out by the lake one day._

_Everyone was there, but not surprisingly the Houses had self-segregated. There were only a handful of older students who would dare to mix. Those were mostly couples and the Akatsuki._

_Sasuke figured that made sense. The odds that everyone was going to fall in love with someone else in their House were very low. Sooner or later, hormones would overrule House Loyalty (and kick in to prevent bloodlines from getting too thin, he suspected)._

_"Yes, he did." Gaara said and both boys jumped._

_The red head had a habit of appearing out of nowhere. Sasuke didn't know whether to be impressed or terrified. Then again, that basically summed up his feelings towards the other boy in general. Gaara was just Gaara._

_There really was no point in pondering the matter further. Most of the time, he kept to himself. When he did want to 'socialize' though, well he made sure you knew it._

_"That's crazy! Kisame!" Naruto shouted at him._

_"Yes, Brat?" The blue skinned man asked as he headed over with some other members of the Akatsuki._

_Sasuke still had a hard time believing that Deidara was actually a man and that he was a Gryffindor. He supposed that the blonde was brave in a reckless way, but he would have put him in Slytherin. He digressed though._

_"Did you really ask the nurse if she used an Engorgement Charm on her breasts?" The blonde asked with a laugh._

_"Yes, I did. Who could blame though? Have you seen those things? They're huge!" He protested._

_Itachi sighed and smacked Kisame up the head. Sasuke snorted in amusement at that. It seemed like his big brother was still trying to protect him in his own strange way._

_"OWE! What was that for?!" Kisame demanded._

_"For being a pervert. I don't want your deviancy to rub off on my brother." Itachi informed him._

_"Oh come on, Itachi. Don't be such a stick in the mud. The boy is eleven. I'm sure that your parents already told him about Wands and Wand Holsters." Hidan said._

_Sasuke watched merrily as Itachi proceeded to launch a Silencing Charm on his other friend. His brother was really overprotective sometimes. Though every once in awhile, it could be funny._

_"I presume that you had something to do with this as well Hidan. Well you fools, cost your House fifty points for your deviancy. I hope that makes you happy." Itachi said._

_"Oh don't worry about it, Itachi. That just improves our chances of winning the Cup." Konan said as she snuggled into Pain's chest._

_Sasuke knew that wasn't his real name. He supposed it didn't matter though, even the professors called him that. Any way you sliced it though, Pain and Konan were irrespirable. He wanted to have that one day._

_"I wouldn't be so sure about that! This year the Cup is ours!" Kankuro said out of nowhere._

_"Yes! The Power of Youth and Hard Work shall reward us with the Cup!" Lee exclaimed._

_"He never shuts up. Does he?" Gaara whispered to Sasuke._

_Sasuke could only shake his head. The House Cup was a fierce competition. Everyone was super competitive about it, but Lee was in a league of his own._

_"Pft. Please. Gryffindor all the way!" Karin said._

_"You're delusional. We've totally got this." Suigetsu chimed in._

_That was how Kisame's and Hidan's not so innocent remarks ended up resulting in the Great Splash Fight. Sasuke was that particular battle would be talked about and remembered for years to come. By the end of it, they all looked like drowned rats._

"It's Kisame and Hidan. What can you expect?" Kakuzu asks.

Them not to cost them the House Cup! That's what Sasuke expected dammit! Oh well. He sighs and reopens his book about dragons for what seemed to be the hundredth time that year.

Dragons were cool, but mostly they reminded him about Itachi. It was his way of calming himself down or passing the time when there wasn't anything else going on. At this rate, Sasuke figured he was probably well on his way to being qualified to be a Dragonologist.

"There's no way that he can eat all that without getting sick." Ino says from one of the Gryffindor Tables.

Sasuke glances over curiously to see what was going on and he wasn't all together surprised to see it was Choji that she was speaking of. That Gryffindor was a bottomless pit. The youngest Uchiha couldn't help but think that she was underestimating him.

"Yeah. She's right. You probably shouldn't eat that much." Temari calls out in concern from the Ravenclaw Tables.

"What a drag. You really don't know Choji. He can eat all that and more." Shikamaru assures the feisty Third Year.

"You're kidding me. Wanna make a bet?" She demands.

Sasuke snorts in amusement. That was one bet that Temari was going to lose. Shikamaru might be lazy, but he was a genius. He was always aware of his surroundings and that included his classmates. Temari was setting herself up for failure.

"Sure. If I win, you have to do my coursework over this summer and if I lose, I'll carry your books and things for you next year." He says.

"He's smart. She'd never have someone else do her work. That's a good bet for him to make." Itachi whispers to Sasori and Neji.

Choji keeps eating as the two Ravenclaws agree on the terms of their bet. Perhaps not surprisingly, Shikamaru won. Temari was not a happy camper about that to say the least.

"Fine. You win, but you're a sorry excuse for a Ravenclaw. I can't believe you actually want someone else to do your schoolwork." She grumbles.

"I already know all that stuff anyway. Why waste my time?" Shikamaru replies with a yawn.

Sasuke concedes that is a good point. Shikamaru was definitely a genius. Hell, sometimes even he felt jealous of the other man's academic abilities and he was considered a prodigy himself!

"The boys can be so silly." Tenten says to Hinata.

"Yes, they can be. Still, they keep things entertaining. Just as long as they don't throw hexes or curses at us." The Hyuga girl replies.

Well that was Hinata being Hinata and Tenten doing likewise. Hufflepuff was probably the most "normal" House, Sasuke muses. That was why he knew that the Sorting Hat was right about that much. He never would have fit in there.

Uchihas were many things, but normal wasn't one of them. That was just a simple matter of biology. Besides, being normal was vastly overrated!

"Attention please!" Minerva calls out from behind her podium.

Everyone's eyes were suddenly on the elderly witch. Student, teacher, staff member, ghosts, and likely even the House Elves. Well Sasuke assumed the last part. He had never actually seen them.

Deidara had once told him that the house elves mostly stayed in the kitchens or did cleaning when most students had their classes. They were very good at playing Hide and Go Seek as he put it.

"Wonderful. As you know this is the end of the year feast. It's time to celebrate everyone's achievements and look back on the wonderful year that we've had. To our Seventh Years, we wish you all the best in your future ventures and you know when your Graduation Ceremony will be held." The Animagus says.

Sasuke wouldn't put it past Deidara to go looking for house elves. Just to mess with them. It just seemed like a very Deidara thing to do.

Sasori was likely the only thing standing in the way of the blonde blowing up the school. For some reason, the Gryffindor would only listen to him. He wouldn't even listen to Itachi.

"I wonder if they're dating." He mutters.

"You wonder if who is dating?" Shino asks.

"Nevermind. It doesn't matter." Sasuke says quickly, feeling rather embarrassed at being caught talking to himself.

That type of behavior certainly wasn't going to win him any Cool Points. Though maybe that didn't matter. Unfortunately, he had already gotten his fair share of attention from the girls in his year. Valentine's Day had been a nightmare.

_"Uchiha, what the Hell happened to you?" Gaara asked._

_"You don't want to know. Just trust me, you don't want to know." Sasuke said with a sigh._

_He nod had about ten boxes of chocolate in his hand and was covered in glitter, flowers, and even lipstick. Those psychotic girls had actually tried to kiss him. Fortunately, it had only been on the cheek._

_"Foolish little brother, it looks like you are suffering from the Uchiha Curse." Itachi observed with a smirk._

_"What curse?!" Sasuke demanded, thinking that it was an actual curse._

_"The Curse of Good Looks. Well that is a lot of chocolate. At this rate, you'll be able to put Honeydukes out of business." Itachi continued on._

_Wait. If it was an Uchiha Curse, why hadn't Itachi been glitter bombed?! That just wasn't fair!_

_"How come you look normal then?! Why didn't they go after you? You're older!" The raven haired wizard whined._

_"Oh I found the secret to getting women to leave me alone. I told them that I preferred wizards." He said._

_Gaara and Sasuke both blink. Neither of them had known that was actually an option. Both of them were clearly trying to figure out how that worked._

_"Wait. So you like boys that way or did you just tell them that to get them off your back?" Sasuke asked._

_"You really are my foolish little brother. You and your friend really should hurry or you'll be late for potions." Itachi said as he poked his forehead._

_"Damn it! You're right! Come on, Gaara." Sasuke said as he grabbed him by the hand and they both took off._

_Orochimaru was the Potions Professor. That guy really gave Sasuke the creeps. The least thing that either of them needed was to be late. It was bad enough that Suigetsu had a habit of exploding cauldrons during class. They didn't need to lose House Points too!_

"Alright." Gaara says and Sasuke watches as Naruto says something to Sakura that makes her laugh.

Naruto did that a lot though. Girls seemed to laugh and giggle almost constantly though. It probably didn't mean anything. They were only eleven.

He doubted that they were actually dating. That and Naruto didn't actually find pink attractive, did he? Yuck. Then again, this was Naruto. He actually thought orange was COOL. Idiot.

"The competition for the House Cup was particularly fierce this year." The Headmistress continues, only to be cut off by the Sorting Hat's newest song.

**"All the Houses were fighting straight to the bitter end."**

**"Their honor was what they were eager to defend."**

**"Brother against brother and friend against friend."**

**"Round and around then went around the bend."**

**"For awhile it looked like Slytherin was going to be the winner."**

**"At least that was until the sinners."**

**"They mentioned Tsunade's breasts and put Slytherin to the test."**

**"In the end, this year…Ravenclaw fared the best!"** The Hat says proudly.

The entire Hall burst into laughter and Tsunade just rolls her eyes. It seemed that the nurse was likely used to these jokes. It was almost worth it to lose the cup, just to see the smug look on the Sorting Hat's face.

"Hat how did you get here?" Minerva demands.

"I bribed the bloody chicken to let me out!" The Sorting Hat replies smugly.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. Bloody chicken? Was that how the Hat really referred to Fawkes the Phoenix?

"We have chickens here?! Where? I've never seen any chickens here, except on the tables for dinner!" Naruot exclaims.

"The phoenix. The bloody phoenix." The Hat says with a dramatic sigh as if he couldn't believe that he was surrounded by so many idiots.

That was one stuck up hat with a strange sense of humor, Sasuke decides. He had never seen anything like it. He wondered if whoever created it had intended for the Hat to act this way or if it had merely taken on a life of its own as the years went by.

"What on Earth did you bribe Fawkes with?" Nearly Headless Nick asks.

"He's a damn bird! What do you think that I bribed him with? I bribed him with birdseed!" The hat retorts.

Minerva groans and Sasuke just shakes his head. It was obvious what the Headmistress was thinking. She was thinking, _"Why me?"_

"And where did you get the birdseed from?" The elderly witch inquires.

"Talked a House Elf into grabbing it from the Care of Magical Creatures Class." He says smugly.

Yeah. The Hat was obviously feeling rather pleased by its own cleverness. Though Sasuke couldn't entirely blame him. It had to be awful to be shoved in a cupboard for most of the year.

"Oh Minerva, just let the poor Hat out more. He might act up less, if you do." Jirayia says.

Jiraiya was the Care of Magical Creatures Professor. He was also married to the busty nurse. Clearly, he was rather amused tonight for obvious reasons.

"Yeah! It's not very youthful to keep him locked up so much!" Guy says.

Sasuke still couldn't believe that Gai and Lee weren't biologically related. They definitely looked like father and son. Hell, if it wasn't for the age difference you really could have made the argument that they were twins.

Gai was the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. He had seen it all and wasn't afraid of anything. Sasuke had learned a lot from him, but he could really pass on the man's eccentric nature.

"Fine. We'll see how it goes. You'll be locked up whenever you behave poorly though." The Headmistress warns him.

"I'll be cuddly as a kitten. You'll see." The Sorting Hat says mockingly.

"Right. Well House Point totals were as follows. In fourth place was Gryffindor with 2323 points. In third place was Hufflepuff with 2500. Slytherin came in second this year with 2654 and Ravenclaw wins the cup with 2699 points." She says as she waves her wand and the Ravenclaw Banner waves everywhere.

The Ravenclaws cheer joyfully and most of the other houses clap politely. Sasuke sighs. Oh well. There was always next year. Slytherin would win next year. He was sure of it. Besides, at least they had beat Gryffindor.

"Oh looky! A nice hat for the spooky Peeves!" The ghost says as he floats down and steals the hat.

Shockingly, Professor Binns stepped in and saved the hat. Sasuke blinks. He'd never actually seen the ancient looking ghost do anything but drone on and on about the History of Magic.

Really, that should have been a fascinating subject. It was just that the ghost's lessons were as lifeless as he was. Sasuke only managed an E for Exceeds Expectations in that class because of it.

"Well that's all. Dig in! Oh and remember to do your coursework over the summer. You wouldn't want to fall behind!" The Headmistress calls out.

Thankfully, the rest of the feast proceeded without incident. Well almost. Akamaru did try to steal some food, much to everyone's entertainment.

"Hey, Akamaru! Relax! I saved you some!" Kiba assures him.

* * *

A few hours later, they all boarded the Hogwarts Express. Thankfully, Sasuke managed to find the compartment that he had first traveled to Hogwarts on with relative ease. So had everyone else it seemed.

"Well that was a great first term!" Kiba says cheerfully.

"Mhm." Shino adds as he reopens his book and proceeds to start reading about magical insects.

"Hey, bastard! Sorry you guys missed out on the Cup and all." Naruto calls out as he tries to squeeze his way into the compartment with Sakura by his side.

Sakura was smaller. So she snuck in first. Sasuke goes to greet the blonde, but someone bumped into him and then their lips connected.

Everyone's eyes suddenly went as wide as saucers. For about two seconds the two best friends were kissing. Well kinda.

"Naruto, what the bloody Hell?!" Sasuke demands as the two break apart and start gagging.

"Hey! It wasn't my fault! Someone pushed me!" He grumbles.

Great. Now everyone was staring at them. Neither of them were likely ever going to live that down. This was worse than the time that Ino had flown into that damn tree.

That witch couldn't fly for the life of her. Seriously, Sasuke had never seen a worse flyer. He knew that everyone had their strengths and weaknesses, but that was ridiculous!

"Sasuke and Naruto, sitting in a tree…" Kiba begins to sing.

He quickly shut up when Itachi happened to walk by and casts a Silencing Charm on him. The only person who was allowed to tease his foolish little brother was him. Thank you, very much!

"You've really got to teach me that one." Sasuke mutters.

"Well it is a bit advanced, Sasuke. They teach it to Fifth Years and you've only just completed your first." Itachi informs him.

"I don't care. I can do it. I know I can. Besides, it's so freaking useful!" The younger Uchiha retorts.

He was definitely going to need that Charm. There was no way that any of them were ever going to let him live kissing Naruto down. It didn't matter that it was an accident!

"Don't worry, Sasuke. I'm sure that people know it was an accident." Hinata says.

That was sweet. Really. This girl was sweet, but she couldn't possibly be that naïve. This was Hogwarts. The gossip mill was legendary! Of course, it was going to be all over the school before any of them actually got home.

He'd never live this down! Never! Damn it! That idiot just had to let Sakura in first. It would have been bad enough to accidentally kiss Sakura, but maybe people would have gotten over it.

"Yeah. I'm sure." Sasuke says.

Naruto was another boy though. That made it different. Not that Sasuke particularly cared if two boys or two girls liked each other. It was none of his business, but he knew that the other First Years (well kinda Second Years) would make a big deal out of it.

"If anyone has an issue with them, we can just sick Gaara on them. He's scary." Naruto says.

"Well that's true. Yeah. That's exactly what we'll do." Sasuke says with a smirk.


	6. Second Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Initially, Sasuke is excited to start his second year at Hogwarts. Well at least until he quickly realizes someone has a grudge against him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Chapter Notation: I still don't own the Sorting Hat, Naruto, or Harry Potter in general.

A few months had passed and Sasuke was now officially a Second Year. He was no longer in that weird limbo. What did you call a First Year who had passed their end of year exams, but hadn't officially started their Second Year anyway? Yeah. He didn't know either.

At the moment, he was currently sitting at the Slytherin Table and watching a Sorting. It was interesting to say the least. Watching the Sorting as a speculator was amusing.

**"Welcome one and all."**

**"Let's have a great Fall."**

**"Together we'll all do much better."**

**"As you know, birds of a feather flock together."**

**"So let's put you in your rightful House."**

**"There's no need to pout."**

**"I'll get you all sorted out!"**

**"There's no crying amongst the Lions."**

**"The Ravenclaws are the smartest birds, that I ever saw."**

**"Hufflepuffs are unexpectedly tuff."**

**"And finally, the snakes will always take the cake!"**

Sasuke blinks at the song. Well that was unexpectedly cheerful. Perhaps the Sorting Hat was happier now that he was let out and about. The young Slytherin certainly couldn't blame him, if that was indeed the case.

He would have gone stark, raving made if he was locked up for most of the year. Really, it was amazing that the Hat appeared to be mostly sane. Solitary confinement was not fun. (Well so he had been told anyway).

"You know this is a bit sad. Kakuzu, this is the last time we're going to hear a Sorting." Hidan remarks.

"You're right. That is a bit sad. Oh well. This is also our last year to win the Cup." Kakuzu remarks.

Sasuke nods in understanding. It was their last year of Hogwarts. Of course, they would want to win the House Cup. Maybe, that meant they'd actually behave themselves in public this year.

He didn't think that was very likely, but it was possible. Sasuke could dream, couldn't he? There was no harm in wishful thinking.

"That bloody Cup is all ours this year." Hidan states with a cocky smirk.

Hidan was scary. Sasuke knew for a fact that the other man dabbled in magic that even Itachi was unwilling to touch. The kind of magic that would get him expelled, if anyone else found out about it.

_"Itachi, what's Blood Magic?" Sasuke asked his elder brother a few months before his First Year was to end._

_"Where did you hear about Blood Magic?" Itachi replied with more than a little panic in his voice._

_That's how Sasuke knew that it was a bad thing. He had never heard his brother panic about anything. The elder wizard was always calm. Nothing ruffled his robes._

_"I saw it in one of in Hidan's bag. What is it?" Sasuke pressed onward._

_He was curious. What could illicit such a reaction from his brother? Itachi was almost a Seven Year. He must know all sorts of advanced magic that Sasuke could scarcely dream of at this point. So what could possibly frighten him?_

_"It's very old magic. It's powerful, but it comes at a price. A price that most people aren't willing to pay. I don't think that's the sort of magic that you want to involve yourself with." The Ravenclaw answered reluctantly._

_"I thought that you said magic was never good or evil. That it depended on the person who was using it." Sasuke said in confusion._

_"That's true. This magic isn't necessarily evil, but it always comes at a price. A price that can sometimes be your life. I would advise you to stay away from this sort of thing. It's bad enough that Hidan is researching it for academic purposes." Itachi said as he poked Sasuke's forehead affectionately._

Academic purposes. Yeah. Sure. Hidan was just looking and not using Blood Magic. If that was the case than Sasuke was actually a natural blonde!

**"Hufflepuff!"** The Hat shouts as a rather terrified looking First Year makes their way over to the Badgers' Tables.

Sasuke sighs as he glances over to the Gryffindor Tables. He still didn't know what to make of well everything. They had kissed, but it had been an accident.

Did that mean that he wasn't straight? Did it matter? He was only a Second Year. Itachi didn't seem to care that people believed he preferred wizards. Hell, he was encouraging the rumors.

"You alright?" Gaara asks and that's when Sasuke realizes he must have sighed out loud.

Were they actually rumors though? Sasuke didn't know. Itachi was pretty chummy with Kisame, but that didn't necessarily mean they were dating. Why did his older brother have to be so frustratingly cryptic?

**"RAVENCLAW!"** The Hat calls out a few minutes later, after being placed on a young witch's head.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind." Sasuke says.

That wasn't a lie. He did have a lot on his mind, but he wasn't going to tell Gaara what. The Uchiha had known the other boy for a year and he still hadn't figured him out yet. He definitely wasn't in the mood to trust his deepest, darkest secrets to him.

"You mean you have Naruto on your mind." The red head says bluntly.

**"Better be GRYFFINDOR!"** The Hat decrees, after being placed on a boy's head.

Damn. Was he that obvious? He probably was. The only question was how was he going to explain this to Gaara in a way that wasn't going to be spread all across the school?

"Well yeah. He's my best friend." Sasuke mutters.

It was a good thing that Shino, Kakuzu, Kisame, and Suigetsu seemed far more interested in the Sorting than in them. That and Hidan was chowing down. Not that Sasuke could blame any of them, those were both matters that deserved a high degree of attention.

"You're debating about more though." He says as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Yeah. Gaara was starting to freak him out more than a little bit. He couldn't actually read his mind, could he? That was some scary stuff!

"I think you're reading too much into it." Sasuke says.

**"SLYTHERIN!"** The House bellows out and the Slytherin Tables all burst into applause at getting a new member.

* * *

The rest of the feast proceeded normally. That was a fact that Sasuke was very grateful for. By the time his first lesson of the year rolled around, he was beginning to feel more like himself. Whatever that meant.

He really hated Potions. The subject itself wasn't bad. There were a lot of interesting things that you could do with potions. It was the teacher.

"Good morning, class. Today we are going to be making Sleeping Draught. This potion will put the drinker into a deep, dreamless sleep. A wonderful cure for nightmares." Orochimaru coos at them.

That sounded useful. He still didn't like the way the Potions Master looked at him. It was like Professor Sannin thought that he was a juicy steak and he was a starving dog.

Potions wasn't his favorite subject, but he was good at it. Though Sasuke suspected that the fact he was Itachi's younger brother likely played a role in the Professor's strange fixation on him.

"What a drag. I really hate working with flubberworm mucus!" Shikamaru groans.

"That's unfortunate. It's a rather common ingredient in potions." Orochimaru says and the lazy genius freezes when he realizes the Professor had heard him say that.

Sasuke just shakes his head and partners up with Sugietsu. He was another Slytherin, after all. So he was a safe bet. Shikamaru was too lazy and well, the last Uchiha didn't fancy his chances of focusing on schoolwork around the red head.

The rest of the class passed eventually. Sasuke was always grateful when that happened. The way that Orochimaru's eyes followed him like an actual snake was positively predatory and he was always happy to get out of there when the lesson ended.

"Well done, Suigetsu and Sasuke. This is a positively perfect Sleeping Draught. Full marks today." Orochimaru says.

"Thanks Teach!" The white haired wizard says cheerfully.

"Oh there's no need to thank me for rewarding hard work. You could both make fine Potioneers one day." He offers.

Sasuke knew that was a compliment, but he'd pass on that. He didn't really know what he wanted to do when he graduated exactly. There was one thing that he did know though. Potions didn't particularly appeal to him as a career choice.

* * *

A few hours later, Sasuke heads out to the Quidditch Pitch. He was Second Year now. That meant that he could try out for the team.

"Good flying out there! Yeah? Naruto and Kiba, you can both be Beaters. Sakura, you made Chaser." Deidara says happily.

The Gryffindors must have been finishing up their tryouts. Sasuke could tell this because the Slytherins were just waiting. Normally, there would have been a fight over the Pitch, if it wasn't reserved.

Whatever. He didn't really care about such petty things. He wanted to win the House Cup and Quidditch Cup, but Sasuke wasn't going to fight over who could use the Pitch when. The Headmistress would step in, if things got too outrageous and that was good enough for him.

"Good job, loser." Sasuke says with a smirk.

"What'd you call me, Bastard?!" Naruto exclaims.

Sometimes he almost felt guilty about how easy it was to rile the blonde up. Beater suited him though. He was such a Protector. He was going for Seeker though. He preferred to rely on speed rather than focus on keeping his teammates from getting beaten up.

"The same thing that I've been calling you, since I was three. Are you guys done with the Pitch or not?" He asks.

"Yeah. We're done. Let's see if you make the team or not. I know I did. So there! I am not a loser!" He protests.

"Right. Well brats, Kisame graduated so we have an opening for Keeper and I can't play this year. Apparently, my grades didn't meet the standard. Whatever. So we have Seeker available as well. Who is trying out for what?" Hidan asks.

What happened next, surprised Sasuke. He volunteered, but so did Gaara. The red head had never struck him as the type of person who cared about sports. Let alone wanted to be on a team.

Gaara seemed more like the perpetual loner and Sauske had never heard him talk about Quidditch. So this one really came out of left field. It was just odd.

"Alright. Let's see what you can do. Who is trying out for what position?" He asks.

"Keeper." Gaara says simply, shocking Sasuke again.

He had a Seeker's build. Why was he going out for Keeper? That didn't make any sense.

"Alright. Sasuke, are you gunning for the same slot or are you trying out for Seeker?" Kakuzu asks.

"Seeker. This will work out nicely, if we both make the team." The youngest Uchiha observes.

"I'll go first." Gaara says simply and with that, he gets on the broom and takes off to the goal posts.

The Gryffindors were all watching closely. Sasuke couldn't blame them. They were trying to figure out which team was the real threat. The only thing nearly as competitive as the House Cup was the Quidditch Cup.

Honestly, Hogwarts seemed to pit its students against each other on day one. That couldn't be an accident. It may have started out as a friendly rivalry back in the day or it might have been malicious, but even at 12 Sasuke could see this was going to be an issue later on down the road. So why couldn't the adults?

"Is the psycho any good?" Kiba asks Sasuke.

"I've never seen him play before. I guess we'll find out." He says to the Gryffindor.

Sasuke didn't really care what House someone was in. The Gryffindors besides Naruto he could tolerate in small doses. Ravenclaws were okay and he kinda felt sorry for the Hufflepuffs. He felt most comfortable in his own House, but he wasn't going to pick a fight with someone just because they came from a different one.

"Can't disagree with the nickname. That's one freaky guy and that's saying something, coming from me." Suigetsu comments.

The balls come flying fast and furious at Gaara as the much older Slytherin Players have a go at him. The red head wasn't intimidated though. Sasuke blinks as he watches in awe.

He might have been a psycho, but Gaara could definitely block. He was fast. Really, really fast. He'd never seen defense that good before.

"Well I'll be damned. Our little homicidal manic has the Ultimate Defense. Alright, kid. You can get down. You're definitely making the team. Sasuke, you're up." Kakuzu says.

Sasuke nods as he heads towards the pitch and Gaara gets off it. That's when he notices that Itachi was heading over. Damn it. His brother wanted to watch him try out.

That was just embarrassing! He was 12! Not 5! Sasuke didn't need Itachi to hold his hand while he did everything. He loved his older brother, but sometimes he took the overprotective thing just a little too far!

"Good luck, Sasuke." He says simply and the younger Uchiha nods as he gets ready.

Hidan releases the Snitch and Sasuke takes off after it. His brother was the Ravenclaw's Seeker. He wanted to prove that he could be just as good at Itachi at this game (or at anything really)!

"Well I gotta give him this much, kid is fast." Hidan muses.

"Yes, he is. He took to flying at a young age. Then again, so did most of our family." Itachi adds.

That stupid little golden ball was wicked fast. It was almost impossible to see, let alone catch. Thankfully, Sasuke had practiced this a lot during his informal games with his family.

"Confringo." Sasuke hears someone whisper from nearby, but he couldn't place the voice.

He catches it after what seemed like an eternity. In reality, it was probably only a couple of minutes. Everything was fine, until suddenly his broom just exploded and he falls towards the ground.

It was a damn good thing that one of the other Slytherins managed to catch him. Otherwise he probably would have broken something or worse. He could have died.

"SASUKE!" A series of screams rang out as everyone rushes to help him.

"That wasn't normal! Brooms don't explode like that out of nowhere!" Naruto exclaims.

"I think you're right. Someone hexed him." Itachi murmurs softly.

Confringo. That sounded like some kind of spell. Someone had fired off a spell at him. Someone either wanted him dead or at least badly injured, Sasuke thinks to himself.

"Don't worry, Sasuke! We'll figure out who did it!" Karin assures him.

Don't worry? The red headed girl must have been off her rocker. Someone had just bloody tried to kill him and she wanted him not to worry? She was daft. That was the only logical explanation.

"But who would do that? Why?" Ino asks.

Yeah. That was exactly what Sasuke was wondering himself. He couldn't remember infuriating anyone enough that it would explain someone wanting to kill him.

"That's what we're going to find out. I'd say the Dueling Club is a good place to start." Itachi says.

"Dueling Club?" Shino asks in surprise.

"Yes, it was apparently Orochimaru's idea. As much as I am loathed to agree with that man on anything, it might be a good. In light of recent events, you need to learn how to protect yourselves." The elder Uchiha says.

In light of recent events, really? What Itachi really meant to say was that someone had tried to off him. That meant that it was in their best interests to go to this Dueling Club thing.

That and Sasuke had always thought the ritual was an exciting one. Testing your wits and magic against someone in real time. Naturally, this was Hogwarts. So no one was going to get killed, but it was still exciting.

"Yeah. We're definitely going." Sasuke says.

* * *

A short while later, everyone had gathered in the Great Hall. Sasuke doubted there was a single student missing who wasn't in the Infirmary. Word of his "attack" had spread and it had spooked everyone.

"Ah. It's so good of you all to have joined us. We've started this Club for fun and to teach you how to protect yourself. Jiraiya and I shall be instructing you in the ways of dueling. Kabuto will be along to assist as well." He says.

Sasuke really hated Kabuto. He was Orochimaru's lapdog. The man had graduated a year or two before, he supposed. He wanted to be a Potioneer and was doing some sort of apprenticeship under the Potions Master.

As they were getting set up, Sasuke took stock of the people that he knew best. First, there was Gryffindor. Ino, Kiba, Karin, Naruto, Choji, Sakura, and Deidara. None of them stood out as a real threat to him. They were all his friends or neutral.

"The most important thing in dueling is to expect the unexpected." Orochimaru says.

"If it's unexpected, how are we supposed to expect it?" Sakura asks.

Hufflepuff was also unlikely to be involved. Haku, Jugo, Zetus, Tenten, Hinata, Kankuro, and Lee. No. none of them stuck out as threats. Well other than maybe Zetsu, but he was his brother's friend. So that didn't seem likely.

"My Dear, that's exactly the point." Orochimaru says.

The people in Ravenclaw that he knew well were down. Konan and Pain had graduated last year. They were no longer a threat.

Though there still was Itachi, Sasori, Shikamaru, Neji, and Temari. His brother certainly wouldn't have done it and the others didn't seem likely. Well except maybe, Neji. They were academic competitors, even if they were in different years.

"Right. Well let's get started. Before a Duel, it is customary to bow to your opponent." Jiraiya says with a smile.

That left his House. Kisame had already graduated. So it wasn't him. Hidan and Kakuzu were the most likely candidates. Though Shino was so quiet. Who knew what really went on in his head? Suigetsu didn't seem subtle enough to do this.

That's when Sasuke thinks of Gaara. Gaara didn't seem like he was much of a team player. Him trying out for Quidditch had seemed strange, but he didn't think it was the red head.

"Don't worry. We'll be here to make sure that the dueling doesn't get out of hand. If anyone gets hurt, we'll stop it immediately and have them taken to the Infirmary." Kabuto assures them.

Gaara seemed to like him though. He had even defended him against Kisame when the other man called him a shrimp. Why would Gaara suddenly decide to want to kill him?

It couldn't be because of Quidditch. The man wanted to be a Keeper. That wasn't Sasuke's position. So he was at a loss for why it might be Gaara.

"Dueling is a most ancient art. One that is to be respected. There is truly a beauty it, when two equals meet in magical combat." Orochimaru gushes.

This was unsettling. He had only a couple of maybes and they weren't even strong maybes. Someone wanted him dead or at least injured and he didn't know why. He didn't even know who.

"Good luck everyone." Jugo says with a gentle smile.

Jugo was a gentle giant. The odds of him being the would be killer were low. Sasuke definitely was dismissing him as a possibility.

That and Jugo was a Fourth Year from another House. He barely ever saw the other boy. There wasn't much of a chance for a grudge to form.

"Funny, I was just going to say the same to you." Suigetsu says with a cocky smirk.

Well this was a public place. It was also a lot closer quarters. If someone tried to attack him, they would definitely get caught here. It wasn't like the Quidditch Pitch. So he was safe for now.

How long would that last though and who was to say that this would stop at just him? Naruto could be next. Hell, even Hinata could be next. He didn't know anything about his attacker and that was more scary than the actual attack.

"Hmm. I think that we're going to need two volunteers. I think Seven Years would be best. Let's see who do we have that can go up against each other? How about Itachi and Hidan? An Eagle and a Serpent should make for quite the interesting match." Orochimaru suggests.

"Itachi, Hidan? Would the two of you like to show your classmates how it's done?" Jirayia asks cheerfully.

Did Jiraiya really not realize that Orochimaru was a freak of the highest order? Sasuke didn't understand how the other man could stand being next to him. Let alone how he could host a club with him.

Whatever. It was really none of his business. He had always wanted to get stronger and this was a a great way to do that.

"I just never thought that I'd have to get stronger to protect myself from a potential serial killer." Sasuke whispers to himself.

**"Stranger things have happened at Hogwarts."** He hears a familiar voice say.

Oh Bloody Hell. That damn Hat was back. Wait. What was the Hat doing at the Dueling Club? That didn't make any sense!

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asks in confusion.

**"Oh isn't it obvious? I'm the ref! This should be quite exciting."** He answers with a smirk.


	7. Something Strange is Going On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sorting Hat and Sasuke are both trying their their best to figure out who jinxed Sasuke's broom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Chapter Notation: This chapter is going to be shown from the Sorting Hat's perspective because he's the ref.Oh and I will also be taking some liberties with the Sorting Hat's backstory. Happy reading.

The Sorting Hat watches as Hidan and Itachi make their way up to the Dueling Stage. This was going to be fascinating. Itachi was an academic at heart, but Hidan wasn't afraid to fight dirty. In that way, these two were the perfect representatives of their respective Houses.

"How did you talk them into letting you be the ref?" Sasuke asks.

**"Oh. They needed a neutral party. Someone that wouldn't favor one House or student over the others. I've sat on tens of thousands of heads over the years. It's hard to play favorites when you do that. It's also hard to get attached to someone when you've only spoken to them once."** The Hat replies.

There were some advantages to not knowing the students well. In some ways, he knew them better than anyone. Well he knew them more intimately when they were eleven than anyone, any rate.

"I guess that makes sense. Have you ever done this before?" Sasuke asks.

**"Oh a few times. It's been awhile though. You know I used to be the ref for Dueling Matches between the Founders. Someone had to be. Godric and Salazar could get particularly vicious with each other. Though it was the women that you really had to watch out for."** He replies conversationally.

It was an interesting age when you thought about it. In his mind, by eleven your core identity was already formed. Though there was still so much room for growth and for your circumstances to mold you into who you were going to be.

By the time these students graduated, most of them would be completely different people than they were when they first walked in through those doors. Despite that, he believed his job had merit. At a certain point, you were who you were.

"Why's that?" Sasuke asks as they watch Hidan and Itachi bow to one another.

**"Oh you're definitely a young wizard, if you have to ask that."** The Hat replies with a laugh.

Perhaps he was simply fooling himself though. Sorting was his main purpose in life. Well if you could call his existence a life. He wasn't sure that he could die of old age. He'd been around for centuries already.

If the Sorting was pointless, then he was pointless. That wasn't something that he could believe. His existence had to have some kind of meaning.

"Alright. We shall flip a coin to determine who will go first!" Jirayia calls out.

"Very well. Hidan, heads or tails?" Orochimaru asks the Seventh Year Student.

"Tails." The silver haired wizard replies without any hesitation.

These two in particular were interesting. The Hat knew that they had been friends since before they came to Hogwarts. Would they really be willing to give it their all against their friend?

Itachi might hold back. He had always been a model of restraint, but Hidan was another matter. His magic and personality had always been rather raw. Completely unrestrained.

"Do you think that they'll actually hurt each other?" Sasuke whispers.

**"Honestly, I don't know. I wouldn't worry about your brother though. I've seen inside his head. A fascinating mind. I'm not entirely certain why he likes purple fingernail polish so much though. Something about at secret clubhouse with his friends. They call themselves the Akatsuki? Good name, even better than the Marauders."** He observes.

Looking into the minds of children could be quite amusing at times. Some of them were frightfully dull. Every once in awhile though, you would cross someone like Itachi or Tom Riddle Jr.

The two boys were almost nothing alike, except in their intelligence. They existed at polar opposites of the spectrum. One thought only of himself and the other barely thought of himself at all.

"You ready for this, Itachi?" Hidan asks with a smirk.

"I believe the better question would be, are YOU prepared for this?" Itachi retorts.

The Sorting Hat smirks. He certainly liked their spirit. This was going to be good. He could already tell and the first spell hadn't even been cast.

"You can do it, Itachi!" Temari cries out.

That was cute. She was trying to support her Housemate. Well let's see how the Headboy fared against the Bad Boy. The results of this should be fascinating.

"It was heads. That means Itachi gets to go first. Remember, no spells that are designed to cause serious injury!" Kabuto says.

"Got it! AVIS, _Oppugno_!" Itachi shouts as a flock of ravens appears from his wand.

The Sorting Hat recognized that combination. Use Avis to summon the birds and Oppungo to direct the attack. It was quite the symbolic choice for a Ravenclaw.

" _Incendio_! Not bad, Itachi. Let's leave the kids stuff for the kids though! Bombarda Maxima!" Hidan retorts using fire spell to burn the birds and aiming an explosive spell at Itachi.

Slytherins really did love their explosions and fire spells. That was something that hadn't escaped his notice over the years. A rather violent House that one.

"Itachi!" Sasuke cries out in horror.

" _Protego Maxima_! _Confundo_!" Itachi retorts as he casts a reassuring look at Sasuke.

A powerful shield charm and a spell designed to confuse his opponents. A clever choice. Truly, something that should be expected from a Ravenclaw.

"Go Itachi! Yeah!" Deidara calls out.

Hidan looks rather confused, but the blonde's calls center him slightly. The Sorting Hat notes that he looks a little irritated. Clearly, he wasn't happy that his friend was picking favorites.

"Hey! Whose damn side are you on anyway?" He yells at the eccentric blonde.

"Now. Now! Let's not have an argument in the middle of a duel." Zetsu says good-naturedly.

"Oh shut your damn mouth, Daisy!" The Slytherin says.

Daisy was Hidan's nickname for Zetsu. It was an old one because the Sorting Hat remembered it as being inside Hidan's head from his Sorting.

"One point from Slytherin for the language and the rudeness." Orochimaru says with a dramatic sigh.

"What?! That's not fair! He was meddling in our fight!" Hidan protests.

"Hidan, cast your spells or concede." Kabuto warns the Seventh Year student.

There was something in the other man's eyes that was now disturbing the Sorting Hat. Hidan was no longer playing. This was no longer a safe duel.

**"Wait!"** The hat shouts, but it was too late.

Hidan's spell had already left. It was _Diffindo_. That was the Severing Charm and it could do real damage to the human body.

"I didn't want to have to resort to this, but it's clear that you've left me no choice! _Ducklifors_!" Itachi thunders, after narrowly avoiding the spell.

**"Well it seems that Hidan has run out of luck and is now a duck. I'd say this match goes to Itachi."** The Ref decrees.

"That's so cool!" Ino and Sakura cry out in unison.

That poor wizard. He was going to have a pair of Second Years swooning after him now. The Sorting Hat suddenly felt a surge of pity for Itachi Uchiha. Perhaps, it would have been better for him to have lost the battle.

"Itachi, will you change Hidan back?" Orochimaru asks.

"Yes, of course." The Ravenclaw says as he points his wand at his friend and soon enough the other wizard was transformed back into a man.

"Seriously, a duck. That has to suck. It wasn't even something cool. It was just cute!" Suigetsu says.

Hidan glares at Suigetsu and the white haired man wisely backs up. He races behind Sasuke and hides behind the youngest Uchiha. Probably because he doubted that the older student would seriously try to hurt Sasuke to get to him.

After all, Sasuke was Itachi's brother. Itachi was his friend and the wizard who had just defeated him in combat. It was a surprisingly smart move on the violet eyed boy's part, the Sorting Hat thinks to himself.

"Right. Well that was a most interesting match. Shall we divide up into pairs?" Jiraiya suggests.

Soon enough everyone divided into pairs. Most of the other duels weren't nearly as dramatic. It seemed like the Dueling Club Leaders were trying to deliberately pair older classmen (and women) with the younger students.

The Sorting Hat couldn't blame them, if that was indeed the case. The older students might temper some of their more vicious spells against the younger ones. That and the brats might learn a few new tricks, if they were going up against someone more experienced.

* * *

**"Well that was certainly interesting."** The Sorting Hat says, a few hours later.

The first Dueling Club meeting was over. Overall, he would say it was a success. He could only hope that Hidan wouldn't hold a grudge against Itachi for showing him up, but he wasn't entirely certain that would be the case.

That's when Fawkes arrives and scoops him up. The bloody chicken had his uses. One of them was that it he made it much easier to travel.

"Alright, Fawkes. Take me to see the Old Bag. I need to speak with Minerva." He says.

Thankfully, the phoenix didn't argue with him. Fawkes knew better than to do that when he was voluntarily asking to see the Headmistress. That woman was a skilled witch, but she was also extremely strict.

He was well aware that she wasn't too pleased to have him out and wandering about. Not that he particularly cared. He refused to be cooped up anymore!

_"Alright."_ Fawkes replies as he flies him towards the Headmistress's Office.

Humans couldn't speak phoenix. He could though. The Sorting Hat wasn't really sure how that worked.

After being alive for so many centuries, he had learned to just go with it when magic went your way. The how wasn't always important as the fact that it worked. Well at least that was his opinion.

**"Old Bag, we have a problem."** The Sorting Hat says, once Fawkes places him on her desk.

"A problem?" The elderly witch asks with a raised eyebrow.

The Hat could tell what she was thinking. She probably thought that he was completely off his rocker. That was just fine with him though. He didn't particularly care what she thought of him.

**"Yes, I was watching the Quidditch tryouts from affair. Someone hurled a spell at Sasuke's broom. The kid was flying in midair. He was caught though. The boy is fine. Well for now anyway**." The Hat explains.

Minerva frowns and the Hat knew why. She was a tough old bird, but she had a soft spot for the kiddies. It was just really well hidden.

"Are you certain that it wasn't just a faulty broom? Perhaps, we should look into getting new brooms." She suggests.

**"I know that you don't believe that anymore than I do. Hell, even the chicken doesn't believe that!"** The Hat protests.

_"I am not a chicken!"_ Fawkes protests the label.

He was a glorified chicken. The Hat didn't really understand why everyone was so excited about phoenixes. Yeah. They had powerful magic and were beautiful, but really they were just birds.

"Kindly, do not insult Fawkes. Sadly though, I suspect you're right. The odds that a broom would just explode like that unprompted are low. Do we know of anyone who might carry a grudge against Sasuke?" Minerva asks.

**"I'll take it under consideration, but no. Not really. The kid is just a Second Year. He seems to get along well enough with everyone. That makes me think that it was someone who was upset at Itachi or perhaps his family in general. It could even be someone who just resents Purebloods more broadly and a crime of opportunity."** The Hat suggests.

There were so many possibilities and each was more disturbing than the last. If it was the last camp, this could get ugly. It would be like Harry Potter's own Second Year in reverse.

He didn't think that was too likely, but anything was possible. The fact that the Dueling Club had been set up on the very day that Sasuke was attacked was also suspicious. Very suspicious.

"That's all true. Though I can't really think of anyone who would have an issue with Itachi. As for the Uchihas, they're one of the oldest magical families in Britain. Their enemies and friends are too numerous to list. That doesn't exactly narrow it down and Merlin help us all, if it's someone with a grudge against Purebloods." She whispers.

_"This isn't good."_ Fawkes says.

**"Even the chicken knows this isn't good. Well I'm gonna go follow the boy around. Maybe, I'll pick something up. If it's just against him or his family, clues will reveal themselves."** The Hat says.

Minerva nods. It was obvious that she didn't like it, but what more was there to say on the matter. Someone had to look out for Sasuke and she was too obvious. The Hat had the element of surprise on his side.

"Very well. I wish you good luck." She says and with that, Fawkes takes the Sorting Hat off to find Sasuke.

* * *

The next morning, the Hat was sitting at the Slytherin Table. He was watching them all like a hawk. His first suspicion of course was Hidan. The man had been hurling a potentially very dangerous spell in a Duel, after all.

That seemed too obvious though. Hidan was one of Itachi's best friends. Why would he attack Sasuke and before the Duel? That didn't make much sense.

"You alright?" Hidan asks Sasuke.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I got really lucky. That could have killed me." Sasuke replies as he glances at the Gryffindor Tables.

It had been a year since Sasuke's Sorting and it was rather apparent that his mind was still often focused on Naruto. Whether it was romantic or a deep bond of brotherhood, he wasn't entirely certain. First Years and Second Years were a bit too young for that sort of thing.

It usually wasn't until Fourth Year that everyone's brains turned to mush. Occasionally, you would get an early bloomer though. Sometimes the seeds of romance were sewn back then.

"What do you make of what happened?" Neji asks Shikamaru at one of the Ravenclaw Tables.

"I'm not sure. I doubt that his broom just exploded though. Someone was trying to hurt Sasuke. Maybe, even kill him." Shikamaru whispers back.

Silly humans. They actually thought whispering was going to stop them from being overheard. That was almost adorable in a way, truly.

They obviously didn't know that he had excellent hear. The Sorting Hat couldn't blame them though. He had excellent hearing, but he didn't have any ears. So it was probably only natural that they assumed he had human level hearing or worse.

"He's from an ancient family though. Someone might just have a grudge against him." Temari points out.

That was an excellent point and one that he had considered. The fact that Temari was rising it either meant that she was innocent or very clever at covering her tracks. Hmm. Which was it?

"You kids should get going. You're going to be late to Transfiguration." Kakuzu says.

"Yeah. I guess you're right." Sasuke says as he heads off with Shino, Gaara, and Suigetsu.

* * *

The Sorting Hat places himself on Suigetsu's shoulder. He didn't want to make it too obvious that he was tagging along with the young Uchiha. That simply wouldn't do at all.

Subtly was necessary in this situation. If he was going to find out who did it and why, he needed to be sneaky. Fortunately, he had sat on the heads of many a Slytherin and Ravenclaw. He was good at sneaky when he wanted to be.

"Welcome class." Obito greets them.

Obito was the Transfiguration Professor. He had shown up a year or two before Kakashi. That was ironic because the two of them were in the same year at Hogwarts. The Sorting Hat remembered this because they were so competitive.

Speaking of competitive, it looked like Hinata and Shino discussing something. The Slytherin was trying to rope shy girl into a competition. That wasn't a smart move.

"Good morning, Professor." They all chorus together.

Hinata was a shy little thing, but she was extremely gifted in Charms and Transfiguration to a lesser extent. Perhaps that was why Shino was doing it though. He was friends with her.

The boy likely wanted to get her to come out of her shell more. It wasn't necessarily a bad idea, but he was letting himself get distracted. As entertaining as watching a bunch of Yearlings was, he had a mission to do.

"Today, we are going learn how to transfigure a Quill into a dagger." Obito says.

That was unusual. He had never heard of such a thing being taught to a group of Second Years. Though perhaps Hogwarts was simply stepping up its lesson plan.

After all, you never knew when the next Voldemort knock off was going to show up. It seemed like every generation or every other generation a Dark Wizard (or Witch) would pop up out of nowhere.

"Why do we have to transfigure a quill into a dagger? That seems pretty shady." Kankuro asks.

Hmm. Points to the Puff. He had said what was likely on everyone's mind, but it didn't look like Obito liked it too much.

"You never know when you might find yourself in a dangerous situation. I'm certain that you'll manage though. You're all very bright students. I wouldn't have given you this spell, if I didn't think that you could do it." Obito says.

"Alright. Let's do this then." Sasuke says, seeming to earn Obito's approval.

Hmm. Wait a minute. Hadn't Obito's last name been Uchiha? Though if his memory served, the man had changed it when he'd gotten married.

It was rather surprising that Sasuke was allowed to be in his class. Then again, Transfiguration was a required subject and they only had one Transfiguration teacher. It wasn't like there was much choice.

"That's the spirit." Obito says as he shows them the precise way to do it.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the Slytherins were better at this task than most of the Hufflepuffs. Though Zetsu and Haku did shockingly well. Interesting.

It was all entertaining to watch, but a growing pit of unease was growing in the Sorting Hat's stomach. Well it was growing where his stomach would be, if he had one. He didn't, but really it was the principle of the thing.

"Very good. Ten points to Slytherin for such exceptional mastery of this task and 5 to Hufflepuff for a respectable effort." Obito says.

Had Minerva been encouraging the Professors to step up their lessons? Was she worried about the attacker? Was that why Obito was having them transform Quills into daggers?

* * *

Once class was dismissed, the Sorting Hat hitches a ride on Shino's back. That's when he notices that Sasuke had pulled Hinata off to the side. Hmm. Now, what was going on?

"You were holding back. I know you're better at Transfiguration than that. Hinata, we weren't actually going to use the dagger to hurt people." He whispers.

"I know, but first you were attacked. Now, they want us to make d-adggers. Something strange is going on. I don't like it. I don't think this is just about practicing anymore. I-Itachi is as seventh year. Have they ever had us make weapons before?" The bluenette asks.

Well a hundred points to Hufflepuff for not being completely filled with airhead, he thinks wryly. The girl had a point. A very good point. Now, he just had to wait to see how Sasuke responded to said point.

"You're right. Something is off. I don't know what is going on, but I do know that there's probably a good reason why Obito decided to literally go cloak and dagger. Stick to Jugo. He's the most trustworthy and powerful person in your House." Sasuke says.

"What about Zetsu?" She asks.

"He's the oldest, but I don't know. He's been too quiet lately." He replies.

Hmm. So Sasuke was beginning to suspect Zetsu? That wasn't a bad guess,, but it didn't quite click for the Hat.

"So you think it was him?" The bluenette asks.

"I don't know what to think anymore. I know one thing for damn sure though. I know it wasn't you, Naruto, or Itachi. Everyone else though is still up in the air." Sasuke admits.

He couldn't blame Sasuke for ruling Hinata out. The girl couldn't hurt a fly. Though that was more from her personality than abilities. If she had really wanted to set her mind to it, the girl probably could have managed to explode his broom.

"Alright. I'll keep my eyes open." She mumbles, before darting off.

It was likely that she didn't want anyone to overhear them. Smart witch. While she wasn't necessarily a Ravenclaw, she still had decent survival instincts.

"What were you talking to Hinata about?" Gaara asks Sasuke.

"I just wanted to give her some advice on the dagger thing." He says with a shrug.

"Good. I've never seen her have an issue with Transfiguration before. I think that she was just scared of daggers." The red head offers.

That was a possibility. He personally thought that she just didn't want to make one because she knew what they were used for. Either she was the most clever actress of them all or she was innocent.

"Probably. Come on. Let's head back to the Common Room. I imagine Hidan and Kakuzu have conned the House Elves into getting us lots of good stuff by now." Sasuke says.

"Finally, they are good for something. You're right." Gaara says as they all head off.

Merlin bless magical hearing. He had been able to hear all that, but Shino hadn't. Shino was still possibility. Actually, he didn't care what Sasuke said. They were all potential killers.


	8. Now, Focus!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Naruto contemplates his feelings Sasuke, the students' party gets crashed by an unknown threat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Chapter Notation: This chapter will be framed from Naruto's perspective and next chapter will begin Third Year. This one will also give you the first real clues as who the "bad guy(s)" is/are.

 Several months had passed since the Broom Incident. Naruto couldn't help, but feel uneasy. Someone had either tried to kill his best friend or at least seriously injure him. It was nothing short of a miracle that Sasuke was okay.

"Oh don't frown like that. I'm sure that you managed to squeak by in Potions." Deidara assures him.

The most frustrating thing about all of this was that no one had any idea who did it. No one knew who had attacked Sasuke. There were many theories and it was still the hottest topic of gossip in the school, but no one had been able to prove anything.

"Oh. It's not that. I'm pretty sure that I'll get an Acceptable. I might have even pulled off an E. That's not what I'm worried about." Naruto replies.

"You're still worried about Sasuke. Yeah?" The other blonde asks.

Yeah. He was still worried about Sasuke. The Second Year couldn't imagine anyone actually wanting to kill him. Yeah. Sasuke could be a jerk sometimes, but nothing he'd ever said had merited attempted murder.

"Yeah. I am. I mean who wouldn't be? Someone tried to shoot him out of the sky." The sapphire eyed student says.

"That someone is stupid. What sort of git would actually attack Itachi's baby brother. Yeah? Not to mention that's a powerful family. I wouldn't wanna be them with Fugaku or Mikoto get their hands on them." The Sixth Year exclaims.

Naruto nods. That was most certainly true. Sasuke had two very overprotective parents and a brother to boot. They were one of the oldest and wealthiest families in the magical world. Their reach was far.

"That's what I've been wondering." The younger Gryffindor says.

Thankfully, he had just finished his last exam and it was likely that Sasuke was as well. These days Naruto really hated leaving the other boy out of his sight. Who knew when the next attack might happen?

It was some consolation that Gaara was usually around Sasuke. The two were in the same House and the same year. They were usually around each other.

"Whether that's because Gaara actually likes him or not, I don't know. At least that psycho can help keep him safe though." He mutters to himself.

"Someone's jealous!" Deidara taunts him.

Damn it. Naruto couldn't believe that he had actually said that out loud. Deidara was never going to let him live that down and he was so not jealous.

Well alright. Maybe, he was a little jealous. That was only because the red head got to be in Sasuke's House and Naruto didn't. They had been best friends since they were babies, but did the Sorting Hat take that into account?! No!

"I'm not jealous." He retorts as if it was the most ridiculous thing that he had ever heard.

"I heard that the two of you kissed. I just thought it was an accident. I guess that I should have guessed though. Itachi prefers wizards. That sort of thing tends to run in the family." Deidara continues on, completely ignoring his protests.

Wait. Did Itachi really prefer wizards or was the other blonde just messing with him? It was hard to tell. Deidara did love messing with people, but Naruto had never actually seen the elder Uchiha brother with a girl before either.

"Wait. You're serious?" Naruto asks.

"Oh yeah. Itachi and Kisame have been dancing around each other for years. I think that Itachi is waiting to graduate before he lets Kisame finally 'catch' him. It's romantic in a way. Yeah?" The blonde gushes dramatically.

Naruto blinks. It was hard to think of Itachi liking anyone romantically, but Kisame was an even bigger leap. Yeah. Those two were close, but he didn't think they were that close.

"Does Sasuke know about that?" The other wizard inquires.

"I'm not sure. I know that Itachi told him that he told others he prefers broomsticks to cauldrons, but I think the brat thought he was joking or something." The older blonde says with a shrug.

Brooms to cauldrons? Where did the Sixth Year come up with this stuff? Wait. Actually, he probably didn't want to know.

"Good to know. Well there's nothing going on between me and Sasuke. Not like THAT!" He insists.

"Not yet. You're only Second Years though. Uchihas are pretty notorious for playing hard to get. You'll probably start snogging in Third or Fourth Year. Fifth Year max." Deidara says with a laugh as he winks and bounds off, leaving behind a very irritated looking Gryffindor.

That's when Naruto hears an amused chuckling. It sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it. Not right away at least.

When he turns around, he sees Shikamaru lazily walking down the hall. The Sorting Hat was on his shoulder. For a moment, Naruto felt a stab of pit for the Hat. It must suck not being able to walk.

"Don't worry about it. That one has always been a few twigs short of a broomstick." The Hat assures him.

"Right. So what are you guys up to?" Naruto asks.

"The Hat wanted to walk around the school and I'm just waiting for Temari to finish up with her last exam. Then we're going to go to the party in the Ravenclaw Common Room." Shikamaru says.

Naruto raises an eyebrow. Shikamaru hated parties. They were a drag to him. So why was he going to the party.

"You are so whipped." The blonde observes and Shikamaru twitches.

"I am not whipped! It's just easier to go than to hear her nag. Besides, she's got Gaara for a brother. You know what Gaara is like. God forbid anyone irritate one of the Sabaku Siblings." The lazy genius says.

That was a fair point. Gaara still had that whole, _"I'm going to grow up and be a serial killer,"_ vibe going on. He was scary.

"Yeah. Can't argue with that." Naruto agrees.

* * *

A few hours later, the Moon was high in the sky and an interhouse party had been organized. Naruto could only guess that somehow Itachi had been behind most of it. It was his last year of Hogwarts and he got along with everyone.

If anyone could make them forget their rivalries for a night, it was him. The man just screamed serenity. Hidan had thrown a Severing Charm at him and Itachi hadn't even batted an eyelash. Now that was a mellow Uchiha!

"Let's get this party started!" Hidan calls out.

It was the night before their last day of the year. Everyone was too worn out from exams to be worried about the House Cup. Old rivalries were being set aside for at least one night.

"That sounds like an excellent idea." Haku says softly as he waves his wand and suddenly music begins to play.

"Music is a good start, but it's not a party without some fireworks." Kisame says.

Naruto blinks. Kisame had graduated last year. What was he doing here? He definitely wasn't a member of the staff.

"Oh don't give me that look, brat. I asked Hagrid to pull some strings for me. Basically, I got a day pass. Let's show these kids how it's done." Kisame says to the Akatsuki, who all smirk in response.

"Alright. Though none of you should attempt magic on this level for years." Itachi warns the younger classmen.

"Why? What are you going to do?" Sasuke asks as he raises an eyebrow.

"You'll see." Itachi says throws out an Avis.

What seemed like dozens of ravens shot out of his wand and flew high into the night sky. That was apparently all the prompting that Kisame needed. He fires off a water spell. A massive jet of water soon joins the birds and takes the form of a Dragon.

"How about a little light?" Hidan asks as he swishes his wand and the sound of thunder cracking and flashes of lightning are seen.

"Accio fireworks!" Deidara calls out giddily as some fireworks zoom over and begin exploding in the air.

"Sasuke, your brother and his friends are such show offs." Naruto whispers as he makes his way over to his friend.

Sasuke apparently wanted to join in as well. He didn't know the fancy magic that his elder brother did yet, but there was one thing that he was good at in particular.

"Incendio!" He calls out and a burst of flame appears, trying to rise to the level of the ravens.

The ravens who had now burst into flame and seemed to be almost like phoenixes at this point. If there was one thing the Uchihas were good at, it was definitely fire magic. Naruto smiles as he sees Itachi shoot Sasuke an approving look.

"Well don't count me out!" The blonde exclaims as he hurls a wind charm in the air.

It fanned Sasuke's flames, helping them reach higher and higher. The flames now almost level with Itachi's ravens. There was something really beautiful about it in a way that the twelve year old couldn't articulate.

"Wind magic is my thing!" Temari says as she takes out a large fan that she had enchanted for just that and swings it.

A powerful gust of wind blew out into the starry night sky, causing the show to sway in a dazzling way. The ravens, the fire, the wind, the fireworks, and the water dragon were now all swishing from side to side. Not to mention the thunder and lightning in the background.

"Might as well make it complete." Neji says as he swishes his wand and snowflakes fall.

"It's missing something." Gaara says as he brandishes his own wand a gust of sand blows around the other displays.

In some places where the sand got too close to the fire, it turned to glass. It was an intentionally nice touch, especially when the moonlight glimmered off it.

"You're right. It definitely needs some flowers." Ino says.

With that, Ino, Sakura, and Karin use Orchideous to create what seemed like hundreds, if not thousand of flowers. It really was such a girl move, but it was pretty. Naruto couldn't lie about that.

Shino decides to add more fireflies than the blonde could count. He wasn't sure how the other wizard conjured them, but Naruto decides that he really doesn't want to know. There were times when it was better just to go with it.

"Well what do you say, Hinata? I think we could use some more water." Suigetsu says with a wink and Hinata nods.

The two water lovers cast Aguamenti into the air. The giant jets of water soon joining the other displays. Naruto had never seen so much magic all at once before.

The show kept going on though. It seemed everyone wanted to join in. Hell, even the animals were now getting in on it. Itachi's snowy owl and Sasuke's eagle owl were now streaking across the night sky. Naruto's toad was hoping around, probably trying to get some of the fireflies and Sakura's cat was prancing about.

"Quit flirting with the Hufflepuff!" Karin yells at Suigetsu.

"I was not flirting with her! You're crazy!" The white haired boy snaps at her.

Hinata blinks and subtly moves away from Suigetsu. She decides it was probably best to hide behind Jugo. After all, the Fourth Year was huge.

"I don't appreciate you, implying such things about my cousin." Neji says as he gets in Karin's face.

Oh boy. This was going to get ugly. Naruto decides to cast a Cheering Charm. It was better than a bloodbath.

"Loser. That was cheating. You can't just use magic to alter people's moods like that." Sasuke whispers in his ear.

"Well I look at it more as me preventing a murder than anything else." The blonde says sheepishly.

"Good point. Maybe, it's okay. Just this once." Sasuke agrees with a small smile.

That's when Naruto notices that Kankuro was approaching the Hat. Hmm. What was that he was carrying? It kinda looked like a mini ladder.

"This is for you. I noticed you're allowed to go places, but you have to be carried everywhere. It's a ladder for you to sit on, but the legs are enchanted to walk like regular ones. You just have to think about where you wanna go." Kankuro says.

"Really? This is the nicest thing that someone's ever done for me. Now, I won't have to rely on the bloody chicken!" The Hat says as he bursts into a smile.

"Yeah. This should work." Kankuro says as he places the Hat on the mini ladder which was about five feet tall.

There was something just really endearing about seeing the normally grumpy and sarcastic Hat grin like an idiot. He prances about on his new legs all over the place. Well that was different.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the students, they were being watched by two people in the distance. The Disillusionment Charm could be a powerful thing. Thanks to it, they blended in perfectly with their surroundings.

"What do you think?" A masculine voice asks his companion.

"I think they're tremendously talented. Perhaps the most talented set of students since the Founders' Generation. They're all so wild though. Unpredictable. That can be an asset, but it can also be a liability." A second voice answers.

He nods in agreement. It wasn't anything that the wizard hadn't thought of before. He knew that they had finally done it though. This little display of magic showed it.

"True, but they work well as a group. The perfect foundation for our plans." He counters.

The hooded figured nodded. The long white robes were so large on the person's frame that it was impossible to discern anything about the second figure. Not even their gender.

It was only their voice that gave them away. Sometimes he wondered where his companion got that robe. It was perfect for concealing your identity. It was likely better not to ask though.

"That's true. The attack on Sasuke Uchiha worked perfectly. They're all naturally suspicious of each other. If we leave a trail of crumbs, they will all jump to their own conclusions. Eventually, we'll scapegoat someone and pretend to be their saviors. It's not exactly a lie either. Things as they are now can not be allowed to continue." The mysterious figure says.

Honestly, he would have preferred for the magical community to take their rightful place in the world. Of course, he would have. That wasn't his main reason for helping his partner in crime, so to speak.

No. He had another reason in mind. The ancient being had made him a promise. If he helped them, they would give him what he desired most. Her.

"That's true. Shall we crash the party?" He whispers.

"That sounds like a fine idea to me." His partner agrees with a sly smile to their voice.

He nods and casts Oppugno. The spell guided what was likely thousands of stones to attack the group of students. His goal was only to scare them and maybe cause some minor or moderate injuries.

If they were ever going to be any use to them, the children needed to be scared. They needed to be scared good. Unfortunately, that meant such actions were necessary.

* * *

"GUYS! GUYS!" Naruto cries out suddenly.

Loud guests were heard. It looked like it was suddenly raining stones. They were all coming fast and furious at them.

Hinata was the first to get hit, but she was far from the last. The stones were relentless. At first, everyone was too shocked to do anything about their predicament.

"Protego Maxima!" The red head shouts, erecting a shield around Hinata.

He quickly sets about trying to extend it. Fortunately, the older students saw what he was doing and quickly joined in. It didn't take long for the Second Years to do the same.

A barrier was now around them. One made of sand. Naruto knew that the sand was Gaara's personal contribution. That didn't matter though. Whatever worked.

**"This isn't natural and I know one of you kids didn't do this!"** The Hat bellows out.

"The bloody Hat is right!" Kisame agrees as he focuses on helping to keep the shield up.

Naruto hated to admit it, but the two of them had a point. He doubted any of them would have just cast a spell like that. That spell wasn't meant to be part of the show. It was meant to hurt people.

"DON'T WORRY! THE POWER OF YOUTH WILL SAVE US!" Lee says.

"Itachi, will you cast a Silencing Charm on that idiot before I knock him out?" Gaara growls.

Itachi chuckles, but Naruto sees him do as the red head requested. It was probably a smart move on Sasuke's brother's parta. Gaara looked pretty damn serious about knocking the Hufflepuff out.

"How long do you think we can keep this shield up?" Shino asks.

That was a good question. Naruto definitely didn't know. He wasn't exactly an expert in Shield Charms. He was better at blowing things up. Fortunately, they had a large group here and some of them were well-versed in this particular branch of magic.

That's when Naruto's eyes widen. They weren't the only ones who had been out there. Their pets had been as well. The sounds of a bird of prey crying out could be heard.

The blonde couldn't see it, but Garuda had found their attackers and slashed at the man's face. The sounds of his cries of pain were muffled by everything else. That was all that it took though.

"I think it's slowing down." Zetsu observes.

Indeed. Naruto couldn't hear as many rocks banging up against their charm. Something was going on. He just wasn't sure what.

Garuda's talons and the pain they inflicted had distracted the man. He couldn't hold the spell. Once it had stopped, he didn't think it was wise to start it up again.

"I believe that we have made our statement. Shall we go?" He asks his companion.

The hooded figure merely nods in response and the two of them use a Portkey to leave. There was no need to stay any longer. Surely, they had given the students plenty to think about.

"Is everyone okay?" Naruto asks in a panicked voice, once it became clear the stones had finally stopped.

**"I think everyone is alright, brat. We really should tell the Old Hag about this though.** " The Sorting Hat says.

Naruto tilts his head. He wasn't really sure who the Hat was talking about. The Old Hag? Who was that supposed to be?

"You're such a loser. He means the Headmistress." Sasuke says with a groan as he smacks his forehead in frustration.

"Ohhh! Wait. She's old, but I wouldn't really call her a Hag. I mean for someone that old, she's in good shape." Naruto says.

"Is now really the time to be debating about the Nursing Home Beauty Pageant?" Kisame asks.

Oh right. That was a good point. Yeah. They should totally tell Mcgonagall!" Naruto agrees.

With that, the students, pets, and Sorting Hat all slowly make their way to the Headmistress's Office. Everyone wanted to be there as a witness and well frankly, no one wanted to be alone.

* * *

"It's not just Sasuke anymore." Hinata whispers to Gaara.

"No. It's not just Sasuke. It looks like they are targeting the student body in general." The red head agrees.

Oh yeah. Things were really bad. Hinata was actually having a conversation without studying and Gaara was trying to comfort someone. Though he was more disturbed by the fact that for once, Karin and Suigetsu weren't fighting. That meant that this was serious.

"I'm sorry about this, Kisame." Itachi murmurs.

"What are you sorry about?" The blue skinned wizard asks in confusion.

"You came here to celebrate us graduating and instead you got attacked by some stranger who didn't even have the courage to show their face." The Uchiha answers.

Yeah. Naruto could see what Deidara was going on about now. This was just getting weirder and weirder.

"Don't worry, girls. I'll protect you. So will Akamaru!" Kiba assures Sakura and Ino.

Oh great. Now, Kiba wanted to play the role of the White Knight before anyone even knew what was happening. That wasn't going to go over well.

* * *

"What on Earth are you all doing here?" Minerva asks, a few minutes later when she comes out of her office to see what all the commotion was about.

"It's a long story. We think that someone is targeting the student body though. First, Sasuke was hexed off his broom. Now, someone was hurling stones at us using magic. A lot of them. We had to all combine our magic to make a Shield Charm." Sasori explains.

Well good for Sasori. Naruto was glad the other wizard was there. He wasn't sure that anyone else could have summarized the strange situation so clearly and neatly.

"Oh Dear Lord. It's worse than we thought." Minerva whispers.

**"It may be a good idea to get some Aurors involved."** The Sorting Hat suggests.

"Yes. Yes, of course. Wait. What the Devil are you on?" Minerva asks in confusion.

Naruto snorts in amusement. Oh this should be good. This should be very good. He couldn't wait to hear the Hat explain this one.

**"Kankuro was kind enough to make me a ladder. The legs function almost precisely like human legs. Now, I don't have to ask for rides everywhere I go. Now, focus. Old Girl, we have a potential murderer to catch!"** The Hat says.


	9. Third Year: Gaara Style

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's favorite 'little psycho' is on the case! Gaara tries to figure out who the bad guys are AND successfully plays matchmaker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. The seeds of romance were planted last chapter and now in Third Year, they will officially begin to bloom. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Chapter Notation: This chapter will be framed from Gaara's perspective. This will explain why he's everyone's favorite 'little psycho.' Happy reading.

Several months had passed since the attack and everyone was beginning to lower their guard. That was just foolish. Someone had attacked Sasuke on his broomstick at Quidditch tryouts and then waited until the end of the year to attack all of them. This threat clearly wasn't going away.

The Aurors were predictably useless. They didn't know what they were looking for. Though Gaara reasonably though they could eliminate most of the students from the suspect list.

"Gaara, are you going to Hogsmeade for Halloween?" Sasuke asks.

That or they were at most accomplices. Why the Aurors insisted on checking everyone's wands regularly, he didn't know. A smart witch or wizard would have disposed any wand they used to do their dirty work.

Truly, that's what he would have done. Well that's what he would have done, if he was the one responsible for these attacks. He wasn't, but Gaara knew that more than one student sincerely believed that he was or might be.

"I don't know. I don't really have anyone to go with." He says with a shrug.

"You could hang out with me and the others, if you like." The younger Uchiha says.

Everyone thought that he was a psycho and he supposed in some ways, that he was. It wasn't entirely his fault though. He was just wired differently than most of his peers.

His magic didn't necessarily work the same way and it influenced his thought patterns. The red head was slowly getting better at controlling himself though. In part, Gaara assumed that was because watching his classmate's antics was so damn amusing.

"Maybe. That depends who **_the others_** consist of." The Third Year replies.

He wasn't the most social person, but he did enjoy watching them. They were just so damn passionate about everything. Every little thing to them was the most amazing thing ever or the end of the world.

Gaara didn't know how they did it. Surely, it had to be exhausting to be that excitable. To him, magic in itself was the source of his focus and that was enough. He didn't see a need to indulge in teenage drama. Everyone else did though.

"A lot of people. Jugo, Karin, and Suigetsu are coming. There's also going to be Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata. I think that Karin and Sakura invited Hinata because she's shy and it'll be good for her to get a chance to socialize outside of classes." Sasuke says.

Hinata was coming? Well in that case, he could overlook everyone else's loudness or bubbly nature. Sasuke was the only other exception to the rule.

That's why he liked Sasuke and Hinata. They weren't like most of their other classmates. Hinata was like freshly fallen snow given human form. Completely innocent and pure. Sasuke was more like him though. He had the same eyes that Gaara did.

"I'll go." The red head says simply.

Sasuke saw magic the same way he did. He was enthralled by it and wanted to prove his worth. Sasuke wanted to prove himself in a similar manner to how Gaara was.

Hinata was the complete opposite. The girl seemed to deliberately try not to be noticed. Then again, he couldn't blame her. Not with a family like hers.

"Great. I'll let the others know. Are you going to wear a costume?" Sasuke asks.

"I hadn't thought of that. Should I?" The Third Year inquires back at him.

Hinata came from the Hyuga Family. They were perhaps the only pureblooded family that could rival Sasuke's in wealth, power, and history. They were also a rather cold family in his opinion.

They demanded perfection. The Hyugas considered themselves practically royalty and for someone like Hinata, growing up in that family must have been a nightmare. The shy girl would never be able to flourish and thrive in that sort of environment.

"It's probably be a good idea. I'm going with vampire. It's not the most creative, I know. The loser says that I already look like one anyway." Sasuke says with a shrug.

"I can see that. I'll go as a vampire as well. It's a classic choice and I doubt anyone would be shocked that we both picked it." The other boy reasons.

"You're getting to be as lazy as Shikamaru. Alright. I'll see you then." Sasuke says with a smirk as he heads off.

Gaara could relate to family issues. He was a Half-Blood himself. His mother came from a long line of magical people and his father was as Muggle as it was possible to be.

His mother had died shortly after giving birth to him. So Gaara had never known the woman. From what his uncle had told him though, she was a very sweet and kind woman who loved her children and her husband completely.

"Unfortunately, she had one big fault." He mutters.

She hadn't told Rasa about her magical abilities. When she fell in love with him, the woman had moved to the Muggle World. She had given it up completely and had hoped that her children would either be Squibs or that she could hide their magic from her husband.

That had been a foolish move on her part. Temari and Kankuro had been too young to show magic when he was born, but Gaara had emerged with his magic. He was a Druid.

_"Now, boy. I didn't want to send your brother and your sister to this damn school, but I have no choice. Hopefully, they can teach you how to control your curse." Rasa muttered in disgust._

_Even at eleven, Gaara knew that his magic was different from his brother's and sister's. It was more wild. His father treated him like he was some sort of demon because of it._

_To his credit, Rasa made sure that his physical needs were met. He was never a father to Gaara though. The red head knew that his father thought he was possessed or something, but he no longer cared._

_"Yes, Rasa." He stated simply._

_He wouldn't call this man his father. They might share blood, but that was all they shared. Rasa was never his father. His uncle was more like his father than this man that he happened to look like._

_"Good. Now, let's go. We have to shop for your school supplies." The father of three said._

_Gaara nodded and followed his family. For the first time in a long time, he was happy. He was going to a place where his magic would actually be encouraged. Where he could prove his existence and most importantly, he was getting away from all of…this._

* * *

A few hours later, they were all at the Three Broomsticks. It was a popular Inn and Pub. Mostly, Gaara thought that the others had wanted to come here because it served butterbeer to students.

Sadly, none of them were going to get Firewhiskey. They were too young. That was a pity. He would have liked to try it.

"Yeah! So we totally snogged!" Gaara overhears Kiba saying to his friends Shino and Choji at the next table and so did everyone else.

"Kiba, she kissed you on the cheek." Shino says with an exasperated sigh.

"That still counts!" The dog lover says and as if to back his owner up, Akamaru starts barking in agreement.

Snogging was now a topic of great interest amongst the students in his year, Gaara notes. There seemed to be two camps. The first camp still thought that romance was gross and mushy and the second camp was very much interested in snogging.

"If that counts then you might as well count Naruto's and Sasuke's kiss!" Shino retorts.

That causes the Uchiha and Uzumaki in question to both blush a deep shade of red. Gaara didn't know why they were still dancing around each other. To him, it was rather obvious that Sasuke preferred wizards and Naruto was most likely bisexual.

Gaara might not choose to discuss such topics openly, but he wasn't naïve. He understood what was what. It was just that he doubted anyone would want to snog him anytime soon. So for now, he was more than content to watch the drama unfold.

"HEY! DON'T BRING US INTO THAT!" Naruto shouts at them.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Kiba, Shino, and Choji all say in a rush as Sasuke's blush deepens.

Gaara knew why. The blonde was only bringing more attention to their accidental kiss with his antics. Naruto was anything, but a subtle creature.

**"Oh stop looking so aghast. He was only playing around."** The Hat says as he wanders into the room.

The red head still wasn't used to seeing a Hat using a ladder like legs. Oh well. It was probably one of the least strange things about going to Hogwarts, really.

That's when he notices Kakashi, Obito, and Rin were also at Hogsmeade. Hmm. Interesting. He couldn't help but remember Obito's dagger lesson last year.

"It might not be a student." He whispers to himself.

"Wait. What are you talking about?" Karin asks in confusion.

"Gaara doesn't think it was a student that attacked us." Hinata mumbles out quickly.

She could have been a Ravenclaw, if only she was more bolder. Finally, someone understood him. Well someone besides Sasuke, but Gaara just wasn't attracted to wizards and it was obvious that Naruto and Sasuke had that whole Soul Mate thing going on.

Well if you believed in Soul Mates. Gaara wasn't entirely certain, if he did or not. He decides at 14, he was a little too young to worry about forever. He'd decide on the answer to that Soul Mate question on another day.

"Who do you think it is then?" Sasuke asks.

"I'm not sure, but it occurs to me that it could be a teacher. Teachers would be able to travel throughout the grounds without setting off the wards." The red head states.

Gaara notices Naruto frown as he considers that and he scoots closer to Sasuke. Yeah. They'd probably be snogging by the end of the year. Hell, maybe by the end of the day.

He really should start getting in on that betting pool. There was good money to be had in such things. Why not take advantage of that delightful opportunity?

"That's true, but if it's a teacher…what are we going to do?" Karin asks mournfully.

"Well we'll find some proof and then get their sorry arse locked up in Azkaban!" Suigetsu says as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Gaara doubted that it would be that easy though. This was clearly a very targeted series of attacks. In both cases, they could have been fatal. Either this was a very imprecise killer or their goal wasn't to kill them.

It was to scare them. The possible murderer might not really be a murderer at all. They were just trying to terrorize them, but to what end he wasn't sure. That was in a way even more disturbing than someone wanting to kill them. The not knowing was the worst part in his opinion.

"It's not going to be that easy!" Sakura snaps at him.

Well good. At least Bubblegum had some functioning brain cells. They needed to figure out a plan and soon. These "attacks" were likely going to keep coming.

"It's so good to get a chance to get out of the castle. I love it, but it's nice to take in the scenery now and then." Rin says with a smile.

Gaara decides to listen into the teachers' conversations like a hawk. Rin was married to Obito and Kakashi was their mutual childhood friend. From what he gathered, they had all gone to Hogwarts together.

They were all teachers. Anyone of them would have had the opportunity to attack them. What would be the motive though?

"Yes, it is." Obito says with a smile of his own as he wraps his arm around his wife's shoulder.

The red head knew that Obito was related to Sasuke and Itachi. He had change his last name when he married. He suspected that was in an effort to prevent people from realizing he had taught two of his relatives and to skirt any accusations of favoritism.

It seemed highly unlikely that Obito would attack his relatives, but there was always that chance. Gaara couldn't dismiss the possibility.

"You two make awesome vampires!" Ino says cheerfully as she walks passed them.

Yes, he and Sasuke had dressed up as vampires. Kiba was a werewolf. Shino was some kind of insect. Sakura had decided to be a fairy princess and Ino was a zombie bride. Naruto was dressed up like Merlin and Shino was a dragonfly? Finally, there was Hinata. She was dressed up as an angel. (Gaara didn't think that was an actual costume for her, but he digressed).

Rin was a happily married woman and attacking the other Uchihas would have meant she was going after her husband's family. That also seemed unlikely, but he couldn't dismiss that possibility out of hand either. That would certainly make her less likely to be a suspect.

"Thanks." They both say in unison.

There was also Kakashi. Could he be resentful that Sasuke was now a Quidditch Player? He had been a Pro before coming to Hogwarts. That seemed like a silly reason, but the red head wasn't ready to dismiss anything.

* * *

A few hours later, Gaara was in the Common Room with Sasuke. The others were off doing Merlin knows what for Halloween Celebrations. That meant that he could finally address this issue that had been brewing for awhile.

"Sasuke, you should just tell him how you feel." He states as he flips to page 394 in his Defense Against Dark Arts textbook.

"What are you talking about?" The Uchiha asks warily.

"Don't play thick. Even I can see that you like him as more than a friend. Naruto's a very popular guy. If you don't tell him how you feel, someone else will and he might say yes. We have potentially a homicidal killer after all of us. It's probably in your best interest not to waste time." Gaara replies dryly.

He knew that was a rather morbid joke, but the red head was still working on the whole humor thing. This was going to take some time. Oh well. He still had four years to figure it out before graduation.

"I don't think that he likes wizards though." Sasuke says.

"Only one way to find out for sure. I doubt that's going to be the issue though. You two have been obsessed with each other for years. So do everyone a favor and get on with snogging his brains out. The whole lovesick puppy routine is most unbecoming of a Slytherin." The other Third Year says.

Sasuke pauses. Gaara could tell that he was thinking about it. Good. Maybe, the other boy would finally make a move.

"I guess you're right. I mean it'd be awkward if he said no. It'll be even more awkward though, if I say nothing. Sooner or later, he'd notice something was up." Sasuke says with a sigh.

"That's right." Gaara agrees and Sasuke nods as he summons his Eagle Owl and quickly writes a note for Naruto to meet him in the Library…in the Restricted Section.

Gaara smirks when he sees that. Sasuke really was a Slytherin, after all. The Restricted Section was quite ambitious for a first date and everyone knew that Slytherins were known for their cunning and ambition.

"There are go. Do you really think this will work?" Sasuke asks as he watches the owl fly off.

"I don't think that it will work. I know that it will work." Gaara assures him.

* * *

Elsewhere the mysterious figure was in Hog's Head Inn with the cloaked figure again. Enough time had passed that they had decided it was safe to meet once more and to discuss their plans. The Aurors seemed to have given up for the time being.

"I swear they keep getting stupider with every passing generation." The cloaked figure says.

"I can't disagree with that. When I was a lad, they were a force to be reckoned with and now they give up after a few months." The dark haired figure states.

His companion nodded. He couldn't help, but be pleased by how things were going so far. The Aurors were gone and the students were still on edge while beginning to lower their guard. Soon, it would be the perfect time to strike.

"Yes, well it's a rather fortunate turn of events for us. I think that it might be time to increase our efforts." His companion reasons.

"What did you have in mind? Most of them are still rather young and will be of little use to us in our goal at this time. Though it would be a rather productive use of our time to win them over." He reasons.

The figure pauses. Clearly, the hooded person needed time to compose their thoughts. That was just fine with him though. He wanted to do this right, so he could get the love of his life back.

"One of them needs to be put in danger. Others will come to help and we can save them. That will earn their trust." The robed figure states.

"That does sound like an excellent idea. What did you have in mind, specifically?" He inquires.

"I haven't decided on the details of the plan yet, but I have an idea forming." His partner in crime informs him.

He simply nods. He was used to this type of behavior from them. The wizard figured that by the time you reached a certain age, you were just naturally cryptic. That was fine. He knew what their end goal was.

"Very well. In that case, I shall get us some Firewhiskey while we mull over these details." He states and his companion nods approvingly.

* * *

Back at the castle, Gaara follows Sasuke into the library. He makes himself scarce because he knew the blonde. If the Uchiha called out to him, Naruto was going to come.

It didn't matter that this was the Restricted Section and that Naruto was a goodie two shoes Gryffindor. He'd do anything for his friends. Loyal to the point of absolute stupidity was the way that he would describe the sapphire eyed wizard, really.

"Sasuke?" The blonde calls out a few minutes later.

Naruto really should learn to be more subtle. He was sneaking into the Restricted Section for goodness sake's! Gaara shakes his head as he watches and could only hope that the Librarian wouldn't notice them all.

"Yeah. I'm here." Sasuke says as he makes his way over to Naruto.

"Good. So I got your owl. What did you want to talk about? It sounded pretty serious." The oblivious wizard says.

Honestly, the red head had absolutely no idea how anyone could be that oblivious. It was obvious that Sasuke adored the other boy like no other. Now, it was simply time to see if the feelings were returned or not.

He was here to offer moral support to the Uchiha. Sasuke was the closest thing that he had to an actual friend outside of his family in this school at the moment. If all his dreams were about to be crushed, well he would be there to offer a shoulder for him to cry on.

"Well it is serious. I don't really know how to say this, but I kinda have to. It'll get in the way of our friendship, if I am constantly carrying this around as a secret." The raven haired boy says.

Well that was more of an expression than anything, really. Gaara doubted that Sasuke was actually the type to cry. Still he figured it was the bloody principle of the thing.

"Get in the way of our friendship? Big secret? Sasuke, what are you talking about? You're not making any sense." Naruto says with a frown.

Alright. Maybe, the Uchiha could have handled this a little better. Naruto might be his first boyfriend though. He was allowed to make mistakes. This tale might still have a happy ending.

"You know how Itachi is with Kisame?" Sasuke asks softly.

That was truly something that Gaara didn't see coming. Kisame was now studying to be a Dragonologist and Itachi was training to be a healer under Tsunade. The older raven was the picture of serenity and Kisame was just the wilderness personalized. They couldn't be more different and yet, somehow they apparently were making it work.

"Yeah. What about it? Wait. Did they break up or something?" The Gryffindor inquires.

At the moment, Itachi was training to become a healer. Tsunade was the one training him. Personally, Gaara thought that Itachi just wanted an excuse to be in the castle. He didn't want to leave his baby brother "alone" when the attackers might still be on the loose.

"No. They didn't break up. You know how they are together, but they're both wizards?" Sasuke tries again.

"Yeah. I mean I don't care. Whatever makes them happy." The blue eyed boy replies merrily.

That likely wasn't the answer that Sasuke was hoping for, but it wasn't the worst answer Naruto could have given. There was still a chance.

"Well yeah. Right. Well what do you think about doing that sort of thing yourself. I mean could you imagine dating another bloke?" Sasuke asks.

Ah ha! He finally said it. One thousand points to Slytherin for exhibiting Gryffindor level courage. Gaara couldn't help but feel proud of the Uchiha at that moment.

That took guts to tell your crush what you thought of them. This was especially true when your crush just happened to be your best friend. He supposed that this was the make or break moment for the potential couple. Naruto's next response was going to determine the course of their relationship likely forever.

"Me? Date another guy? I guess I hadn't really thought about it before. Maybe. I'm not really sure how that would work exactly though. I mean I think it's more about the person than if they're a boy or a girl. You know what I mean? If you like somebody it doesn't really matter whether they have a broomstick or a cauldron as Deidara says." The blonde answers his best friend.

"Really? That's great!" Sasuke says cheerfully as he kisses Naruto.

This time, it wasn't an accident. Gaara blinks. He hadn't expected the Uchiha to just go for it like that.

Well one way or another, Naruto's response was certainly going to prove most interesting. If there was one thing that Gaara knew for sure, there was never a dull moment at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardly.


	10. Boyfriends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Sasuke and Naruto tell everyone the good news, danger lurks around the corner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Sasuke will be narrating this one.

As Sasuke was kissing Naruto, Gaara's words rang in his head. The words that had finally pushed him over the edge. Thanks to the other Slytherin, ther would be no going back after this point. So the words that brought him to his crossroads would likely forever be etched into his memory with wicked precision.

_"I don't think that he likes wizards though." Sasuke said._

_"Only one way to find out for sure. I doubt that's going to be the issue though. You two have been obsessed with each other for years. So do everyone a favor and get on with snogging his brains out. The whole lovesick puppy routine is most unbecoming of a Slytherin." The other Third Year replied._

He supposed that Gaara was right. Slytherins didn't brood all day and wait for something to happen. They MADE it happen. That's why they were known as the ambitious House. They always worked tirelessly towards their goals.

Alright. Sasuke wasn't completely naïve. He was aware that many witches and wizards had a less charitable view of his House. They could bugger off though. Slytherins tried to take what they wanted and that was that. There were times when they were willing to bend or even break the rules to achieve their goals, but who didn't?

"So you want to be my boyfriend?" Naruto asks as he breaks the kiss.

Surprisingly, Naruto had actually kissed back. Sasuke smugly notes that the blonde sounded a little breathless from their kiss. Maybe, that was a good sign.

"Yeah. I mean you said it didn't matter if someone had a broomstick or a cauldron…" The raven haired boy reminds him.

Naruto's kisses tasted like honey and oranges. There was also a hint of vanilla. So the sweetness of the honey wasn't overpowering and the oranges were somehow exotic.

That and he had shockingly soft lips for such a loudmouth. Sasuke had expected the texture to be rougher, but he could work with that. Soft was nice sometimes too.

"Well yeah. Well I guess we can try. I mean you're a really good kisser. I mean at least I think you're a good kisser. It's not like I have anyone to really compare you to. Not that I want to compare other people to you. I mean that would be really mean and yo-" Sasuke shakes his head and silences his babbling blonde with another kiss.

Naruto was still Naruto. It was like his words were water and his mouth was a very ineffective damn. They just came pouring out of him sometimes.

Sasuke didn't mind though. It mean that he never had to guess what was going on in the other wizard's mind. The Gryffindor was truly the very definition of an open book.

"Loser, you said yes. Don't ruin the moment by babbling." Sasuke says with a smirk, after ending the kiss.

"You know, I didn't expect such an antisocial bastard to be good at kissing. You're still a bastard though! You should be nicer to me. I mean I AM your boyfriend now." The blonde retorts smugly.

That was probably a good point. It was just so easy to fall back into their bickering even as the taste of the other boy's kiss still lingered on his lips. Maybe, he should try to be more romantic.

Nah. That was for chicks. They were boys. He'd just drag him off for snogging sessions and take him to Hogsmeade. Things like that. There was no need to turn into a bunch of saps!

"Yes, you are. We're still the same people though. So you'll still be a babbling idiot, but now you're my babbling idiot. I'm still an antisocial bastard, but now I'm your antisocial bastard. It's that simple. Let's not make it complicated." Sasuke replies.

"Yeah. I guess that might be the easiest way to do this. Hey, um do you feel like we're being watched or something?" The sapphire eyed Gryffindor asks suddenly.

Damn. Right. Gaara was probably still there. The red head had decided to come along to show moral support or something like that. Well Gaara's version of moral support, anyway.

That apparently included lurking while Sasuke had his first intentional kiss. Honestly, it was a bit creepy when he thought about it. Whatever though. It was the thought that counted. Gaara was trying to help and he had.

"Maybe, it's one of the portraits. Come on. Let's get out of here. We're still in the Restricted Section and it would suck to get caught. I'd rather not have our first date be in detention." The Slytherin says.

"Yeah. That's a good point. That wouldn't be very romantic." Naruto agrees as the two of them slink off together.

It was thanks to the little psycho that Sasuke had his first boyfriend. First and last hopefully. Sasuke never really wanted to go through that again. Putting everything out on the line and opening yourself up to the possibility of rejection was NOT fun.

Though he couldn't argue with the results. The results were nice. At least this time. Snogging was fun at least.

"So do you want to tell the others that we're together now? They're probably going to find out." The blonde says.

That was true. Hogwarts Gossip Mill was legendary. Rumors spread faster than the speed of light around here.

"I don't know. I hadn't really thought that far ahead. I was more worried about whether you were going to say yes or no than what might come afterwards." He admits sheepishly.

"Awe! That's sweet! The big bad Slytherin is really a softie deep down." Naruto says, positively beaming at the knowledge.

Sweet wasn't really what he was aiming for, but Sasuke takes that as a good sign. Apparently, Naruto liked sweet. Perhaps, it might be best just to go with the label.

"Maybe, a little. Only for you though and don't you dare tell anyone." He states firmly.

In his mind, it was likely best to lay out the ground rules of their relationship early on. That would prevent a lot of annoyance and confusion further down the line. Really, it was only the logical thing to do when he thought about it.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to tell anyone. It'll be our little secret. That and the fact you taste like cinnamon candy." He states merrily.

He tasted like cinnamon candy? That was unexpected. Oh well. If Naruto tasted like honey, Sasuke could live with cinnamon. It was a suitably masculine taste and didn't insult his pride.

"Good to know. So did you wanna tell them or just keep this between us?" The Slytherin inquires.

"I'd rather tell them. I mean I doubt they'd really have an issue with it. Everyone knows Kisame and Itachi are together. No one has said a word about that." The blonde reasons.

Probably because Kisame was likely to skin them alive, if they did. His brother and Kisame made for quite the formidable pair. It would be nothing short of suicidal to tease them about their relationship.

He and Naruto didn't really have that going on yet. Yeah. They were both Quidditch Players, but they were still only Third Years. The only people intimated by Third Years were First and Second Years. (Oh and maybe other Third Years).

"Yeah. They'll find out, anyway." Sasuke says.

He wasn't ashamed of preferring wizards. It had taken him awhile to realize it, but Sasuke didn't really care what other people thought of him. It was Naruto that he was concerned about.

His boyfriend most certainly did care what others thought about him. Naruto was the very definition of a social butterfly. The last thing that Sasuke wanted was to cause him grief over preferring broomsticks to cauldrons.

"Yeah. They will. Besides, I doubt they are going to make a big thing over it. We still have that potential serial killer on the loose. That might distract them from caring too much that we're now Snogging Partners." Naruto says brightly.

Well that was true. Sasuke never thought that he'd be grateful towards their attackers, but he was. Well at least at the moment.

"I don't think they're trying to kill us. If they were, they could have hurled the Killing Curse at us. We wouldn't have had any time to react." The Uchiha replies.

"Yeah. I guess you're right. Maybe, we should go talk to Itachi about it." His boyfriend suggests.

Sasuke nods in agreement. That was probably a good idea. With that in mind, he heads off with Naruto towards Itachi. He knew where his brother would be. The Infirmary.

* * *

"Hey, Itachi!" Naurto calls out to him brightly, when they arrive.

Sasuke watches as Itachi raises an eyebrow. They weren't doing anything different at the moment. It was like he and Naruto were holding hands or anything, but Itachi knew.

Sasuke wasn't sure how he knew that Itachi knew. He just knew that the other man did know. Probably because it was Itachi. The Ravenclaw had the infuriating habit of knowing everything.

"Hello, Naruto. Sasuke. What brings you here? Neither of you look sick or injured to me." He says with a serene smile.

That serene smile. The all knowing smile. Just once, Sasuke would like to shock his brother about something. To know something that the other man didn't. Anything!

"We think that whoever attacked us, isn't trying to kill us." Sasuke says bluntly.

It was probably best not to beat around the bush. At the moment, it was just him, Naruto, and Itachi. Tsunade wasn't there. Likely because she was visiting Jirayia. Her husband didn't have any classes to teach at this hour.

"I thought that as well. It seems like they deliberately attacked you while you were at Quidditch Tryouts because they knew someone would catch you. As for the flying rocks attack, that could have been fatal in large numbers without any Shield Charms. They had to know that we had several upperclassmen in our group that. Of course, we were going to manage Shield Charms." Itachi answers.

So Itachi knew that the person wasn't trying to kill them. Though that still didn't solve the most important questions. Who had done it and why? What was their end goal?

"So what do you think we should do about it?" The blonde asks.

"Any evidence is long gone. If you take someone's wand there is a way of knowing what their last spell was, but that was months ago. They would have likely used hundreds of spells since then. There is also the possibility that they used a disposable wand and just destroyed it, after the attack." The Ravenclaw points out.

"So what should we do?" Sasuke asks.

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid that there isn't much we can do in this case. We'll simply have to wait and hope to find some clues." Itachi says as he pokes Sasuke's forehead.

Sasuke grumbles! Itachi always did that! That forehead poking thing! It was really annoying!

"And congratulations on finding your first boyfriend. I'm happy for you." He adds.

"Wait. How'd you know?" Naruto asks as he blinks rapidly.

"The two of you are walking closer together than normally and there is a certain lightness in your steps that symbolizes relief and happiness. Body language can give away far more than words." The elder Uchiha informs him.

That was unsettling. Itachi could apparently tell what he was thinking just by looking at him. He would have made a good Auror.

"Why did you choose to become a Healer instead of an Auror?" Sasuke asks.

"Hogwarts is my second home. That and I get more satisfaction out of patching people up than locking them up. Plus it does have another lovely advantage. This means that I have several more years to torment you, before you graduate." Itachi says happily.

Oh lovely. His big brother had decided to train under Tsunade because he wanted to annoy him. Why him?

* * *

A few hours later, Sasuke was heading to retrieve his forgotten spell book from Transfiguration, when he overhears something interesting.

"You know that this can't keep happening. These students have been repeatedly attacked. I'm glad that you're teaching them how to make weapons for self-defense like daggers, but this can't be allowed to go on." Kakashi says.

"We have no way of knowing who is behind this. Without knowing that, all we can do is prepare them for the worst." Obito snaps at his friend.

The teachers were definitely on heightened alert. The Aurors were gone, but apparently their professors were all on the case. Interesting. Sasuke hadn't foreseen that. Though he probably should have.

"Orochimaru's old wand had an explosive spell on it as its last one. He lost it. Remember? Well I found it. I think he was the one who knocked Sasuke off his broom." Rin says.

Sasuke's eyes narrow. Orochimaru had done it! Orochimaru was behind all this! He should have known!

He had to tell the others. That's when Sasuke turns to head off, but he trips on a forgotten Quill and follows over. Damn it! There was no way that the professors weren't going to hear that!

"Wait. I think I heard something." Kakashi says.

Sasuke panicked and tries to get up as quickly as possible. That's when he saw the Sorting Hat. Thank Goodness for miracles.

"I'm really sorry about this. Just pretend that you fell." Sasuke says as he shoves the Hat over and he takes off like a bat out of Hell.

**"Damn brat!"** The Hat hisses under his breath as the trio comes out into the hall.

"Hat, are you alright?" Rin asks in concern as she kneels down to help him.

By this time, Sasuke had made it around the corner and was watching. It looked like they seriously thought that the Hat had just fallen. Good.

That meant the teachers didn't know that he knew the truth. Orochimaru had done it! He must have done it! Why else would he have "lost" his wand and just happened to have used that spell before losing it?

**"Yeah. I'm fine. I'm still getting used to my legs. Still beats having to bum rides from the chicken or the students though."** He grumbles.

Thank Merlin. The Sorting Hat was actually going along with it. With that in mind, he leaves the Hat to their tender, love, and care. He had more important things to worry about. Sasuke had to tell the others!

* * *

A short while later, Sasuke was able to organize a meeting of all the students that he knew well in the Room of Requirement. At the moment, it looked like a living room with a lot of couches, coffee tables, and refreshments scattered about.

"Sasuke, what's going on? It's not like you to try to get everyone together like this." Sakura asks.

"I know who attacked us. I overheard some of the teachers talking." Sasuke begins.

**"The idiot almost got caught too! He shoved me out of the way! Made me take the fall for him!** " The Sorting Hat grumbles.

Sasuke sighs. Yeah. The Hat was still annoyed about that, but they had more important things to focus on.

"Sorry. I'm sorry about that, but at least it was worth it." The youngest Uchiha apologizes.

"Well come on! Who did it?!" Suigetsu demands.

"Yeah! I wanna know too! We need to know so we can report them and protect ourselves from this freak!" Karin agrees.

Sasuke notes that was probably the first time that the female red head had ever agreed with Suigetsu on anything. This was certainly one for the history books, he thinks to himself wryly.

"Orochimaru. They found his "lost" wand. The wand had an explosive spell on it. He was the one who attacked me at Quidditch Tryouts." Sasuke explains.

"Well now we know who did it, but not why." Itachi says softly.

"This is bad news. A teacher?! How are we ever going to report him?! No one is going to believe us! Who is going to take the word of a bunch of kids over a world famous Potion Master?" Kiba says mournfully.

Shino swats Kiba. It was clear that the insect lover had had quite enough of that. Sasuke found himself suddenly grateful for Shino's interference.

Sadly, Kiba wasn't saying anything that wasn't true though. Who was going to take their word for it over Orochimaru's?

"Well we could try to drug him with a Truth Potion." Ino suggests.

That wasn't a bad idea. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. Orochimaru was a Potion Master. It wasn't going to be easy to trick him.

"You're kidding, right? He's never going to fall for that." Shikamaru says.

Temari whacks Shikamaru for pointing that out. Obviously, the Fourth Year Ravenclaw didn't want anymore doubts to be voiced. Sasuke didn't either. All of this was only making him more and more nervous.

"It was a good suggestion and maybe we can drug his food or something." She retorts.

"Yeah! Food is always a good idea! We can ask a House Elf to prepare him something." Choji suggests.

"That's not a bad suggestion." Neji says as he glances at Hinata.

Neji was Hinata's cousin and he was still overprotective of her. Though Sasuke privately acknowledges that for once, he had good reason to be. Their Potions Professor was attacking all of them for Merlin's Sake!

"I still don't know why he would do this." Hinata whispers.

"Perhaps, he's gunning for Minerva's Position. Orochimaru probably wants to be Headmaster. If there are a lot of attacks under her watch, she might be declared incompetent." Gaara points out.

That was interesting. Yeah. That made sense. Why didn't he think of that?

"Well we aren't going to let him do that! That creep has had this coming to him for a long time!" Naruto shouts.

Sasuke nods in agreement. That much was obvious. What was less obvious was how they were going to get Orochimaru to eat the drugged food.

"This is pretty freaky. I can't believe that a Professor would pull this sort of thing." Kankuro says.

"Professors are human just like anyone else. They're just as capable of good and evil. In this case, it's evil." Haku chimes in wistfully.

"Well we know who did it and we have a plan. All that we have to do now is act on it." Jugo adds.

The youngest Uchiha couldn't help, but agree. It might not be the most sophisticated plan in the world, but there was a chance that it could work. Right now, it was their only shot. Beggars couldn't be choosers.

"Yeah! Let's catch this bad guy! Yeah?!" Deidara exclaims.

"Oh Dear Lord." Tenten groans as she smacks her forehead.

"The Power of Youth will save the day!" Lee adds as Gaara shoots him a Death Glare that had even Sasuke shivering.

Right. They had their plan and they knew who their target was. Jugo was right. Now they just had to carry out said plan and catch the bad guy!

* * *

Meanwhile the two mysterious figures meet up again. This time in Knockturn Ally. They had some shopping to do.

"Framing him was a brilliant move." His companion says.

"Thank you. Orochimaru is so wonderfully easy to cast as a villain. Stealing his wand was a stroke of genius." The man says.

The children were now frightened and it was only a matter of time before they found their scapegoat. Once they did, the real fun would be begin.

He and cloaked figure could cast themselves as their saviors. They'd help the children and save them from the "evil" Potions Master. After that, it wouldn't take long to have their loyalty and from there, they could continue their real plans in earnest.

"You can really bring her back?" He asks.

"Of course, I can bring her back. Necromancy is something of a lost art, but it isn't lost to me." She replies.

Good. He'd have her back then. The witch that he had sided with was powerful and ancient. If anyone could do it, it would be her.

"Good. I'm glad. Should you do this successfully, you will have my eternal thanks." The dark haired man promises her.

"Oh I don't want your thanks. I want your abilities. You can truly be instrumental in helping to shape this new world that we are about to create. I've always admired your cunning and magical talents. Together, we can do great things." The hooded figure says with a sly smile.

He knew why she wore the hood. The woman stood out in any crowd. Once she took it off, there would be no going back. She'd be too instantly recognizable by anyone well versed in history.

"You're far too kind, but I suppose you're also right. Now is not the time for gratitude. Now is the time for action." He agrees.

"For far too long, the magical community has allowed the Muggles to rule. Mostly because of their superior numbers. We never should have allowed them to flourish as much as they have. They breed faster than pixies." She says with a dramatic sigh.

He knew the real reason why she wanted to start this revolution of hers. She hated Muggles. Her lover had once been a Muggle and in the end, the Muggles had turned him against her.

The poor woman had nearly been burned at the stake. Of course, she just used a Tickling Charm and pretended to be in agony. It was a good thing that she knew how to put out the fire and make it look like it was still burning. She had been able to fake her death.

"That's true. These Muggles certainly are a fruitful lot." The man agrees with his mysterious companion.

"Yes, that much is obvious. Though that won't save them. For far too long, our kind has had to hide in the shadows. That won't be the case for much longer though. Soon, our people shall know absolute freedom. Just as we were always meant to." The woman in question says with a quiet, mad laugh.

He was under no delusions. His companion was powerful, but she was quite insane. A brilliant strategist though.

None of that matter to him. The only thing that mattered was getting her back. Back from the dead. Soon enough, he would be reunited with his long lost love and well the rest of the world could burn as far as he was concerned. Kaguya could do whatever she liked with it.


	11. Fourth Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Fourth Year begins, love is in the air. All is not well though. Danger lurks just around the corner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy the this chapter. It will be framed from multiple perspectives and the main characters will be starting their Fourth Year next chapter.
> 
> Chapter Notation: There is some slight Yuri in this one.

A few months later and Naruto was extremely frustrated. They hadn't been able to get the truth out of Orochimaru yet and now, he was suspicious. The man had definitely noticed that someone was trying to slip Veritaserum into his food and drinks.

"Damn it!" He mutters in exasperation.

They all knew that Orochimaru had done it, even three of the other Professors knew that much. Naturally, they weren't saying as much to the students. Still Sasuke had overheard them that one day. That meant the Potions Master was their enemy.

"Naruto, calm down. We'll figure something out." Sasuke says from his position of sitting behind the blonde.

That was the nice thing about dating. He could be a lot closer to Sasuke now. Also they had turned each other into their favorite chairs or beds.

Sometimes Naruto would drape himself across Sasuke or sit in the other wizard's lap. Then there were other times, when the Slytherin would do the same. People were starting to get used to seeing them do such things too.

"It's almost time for the summer holidays. Orochimaru won't be able to touch any of us then." Gaara says thoughtfully.

"That's true, but we're losing more of our main fighters." Kiba points out.

Naruto frowns. Most of the Akatsuki had already graduated or would be gone by next year. Itachi was the only one who could reasonably stick around that wasn't good.

The Akatsuki were amazing when it came to magic. They were all badass duelists. Without them, the group was much weaker off. Well at least Itachi would still be around. There was also the Headmistress to protect them.

"Don't worry. We'll keep in touch. Yeah?" Deidara asks.

"That's sweet, Deidara. You won't have an excuse to be here next year though. The most that we could do is owl you or maybe arrange for you to visit sometimes. We could see you guys at Hogsmeade as well, but that's about it." Sakura says mournfully.

That was right. It was something, but not enough. Well at least they still have Itachi and McGonagall. That right there was something of a two person army. It really was amazing what Itachi could do on his own and Naruto assumed that Minerva was Headmistress for a reason. She had to know her stuff!

"Just relax. Freaking out isn't going to do anyone, any good." Sasuke whispers in his ear.

For some reason, Naruto suddenly found the act of Sasuke's whispering to be fascinating. It did funny things to his insides that he couldn't really describe. It was like a colony of butterflies had taken up residence in his stomach and they were all professional acrobats.

"Yeah. I guess you're right." He murmurs.

That didn't solve their problems though. They still had a lot of them. Like, how were they going to prove Orochimaru did it? What if the freak attacked them again, before they could?

"Well I might have an idea, but I don't think anyone is going to like it." Ino says.

"What's the idea?" Choji asks curiously and suddenly, everyone's attention was on the blonde Gryffindor girl.

"Well Orochimaru has an assistant. His name is Kabuto. It's a bit of a stretch, but what if Temari were to flirt with him? She might be able to find out something useful. She will be a sixth year next year." The witch says.

Uh oh. This was going to get bloody. Naruto could see that Gaara and Kankuro were already twitching. Not to mention that Shikamaru didn't look too happy about having his girlfriend used as bait.

"My sister is not going to seduce that cretin's lapdog!" Gaara hisses as sand starts to swirl around him rather violently.

"She's not old enough. He'd never fall for it and that's really gross!" Kankuro agrees with his brother.

The sand was still swirling. This wasn't good. Naruto wasn't sure what was really up with Gaara, but he suspected that the red head's magic worked differently than most of theirs.

If this kept up, he might have his suspicions confirmed. The blonde really didn't want that to happen though. He was going to have to do something.

"Gaara, it was j-just an idea. She isn't going to do it. Kabuto would never believe it, anyway." Hinata stammers out quickly.

Just like that, the sand started to recede. Now, that was real magic. Apparently, he wasn't going to have to do anything about it. Hinata had done it for him.

Hinata of all people had stopped everyone's favorite little psycho. Damn. That was some irony. The shyest girl in their school had just soothed the savage beast!

"There's no way that I would ever do something like that! Besides, Kabuto already knows that I'm dating Shikamaru." Temari says as she kisses the other Ravenclaw's cheek.

"That's right. What a drag. If we could get Konan back here, she might have a better chance at it. Though she would have to pretend that she broke up with Pain." Shikamaru says thoughtfully as he blushes from the kiss.

Yeah. No one was going to believe that those two were no longer together. They were completely inseparable and everyone knew that.

"Maybe we're thinking about this the wrong way." Tenten suggests.

"You're right. We need to try more unorthodox tactics. Orochimaru would expect magic, but he wouldn't expect a Muggle Attack." Haku says softly.

A Muggle Attack? What was that supposed to mean? Naruto wasn't sure if he liked the sounds of that. His father was definitely a Pureblood, but his mother was a Muggleborn Witch. So yeah. Naruto was very protective of Muggles because half of his family were Muggles.

"You're suggesting that we use technology instead of magic." Itachi observes.

"Technology? What do you mean?" Suigetsu asks.

"They want to bug his office or something. Record what Orochimaru says and does." Sasuke explains.

Hmm. So they wanted to put a camera in Orochimaru's Office. That sounded like a fine idea. There was only one problem though.

The very air of Hogwarts was saturated with magic. Magic didn't always play well with technology. It often caused devices to go haywire. There was no way they could get a camera to actually work under those circumstances.

"It's a good idea, but how would we keep the camera from dying?" The sapphire eyed boy asks.

"Have no fear! We have the Power of Youth on our side! We'll figure something out!" Lee says excitedly.

Naruto laughs nervously at Lee's response. He was used to the Hufflepuff's antics, but Gaara didn't feel the same way. The red head was now giving him a Death Glare of epic proportions.

Lee didn't seem to notice though. He still continues happily babbling about youth until Neji mercifully casts a Silencing Charm on him.

"Thanks, Neji. You might have just saved his life." Naruto says as he sighs in relief at the knowledge that at a murder had possibly been prevented.

"It's alright. I can't have that much blood on my hands on good conscience. So as you were all saying?" He continues on pleasantly while Lee gives him a dirty look.

"We need to figure out a way to get the camera to work, despite the fact that it will be drenched in magic. That way, we can catch Orochimaru planning something or in the act of doing something." Karin reasons.

Naruto nods in agreement. Sadly, that was easier said than done. They most assuredly had their work cut out for them.

**"I'll look through some of Godric's old spell books. Maybe, I'll be able to find something that could help us."** The Hat says.

"Great idea." Sasuke agrees.

* * *

Meanwhile Kaguya was off conversing with the giants. She had a plan. It was a plan that was going to take awhile to be brought into fruition, but that was okay. She didn't mind playing the long-game.

In order for her plan to work though, she would need allies. Kaguya didn't particularly care what species someone was. Not as long as they had magical blood anyway. So that was why the ancient witch was more than happy to recruit giants to her side.

"How do we know that you'll keep your word?" One of the giants says.

"You don't. Not really. Though could it get much worse? Your people are being confined to smaller and smaller ranges. There are only so many places that Muggles don't go now." The witch reminds him.

In a way, she felt something akin to pity for the giants. Unlike witches and wizards, they couldn't blend in. Well not unless they managed to perform a Shrinking Charm for long-durations, but it would take a rather powerful Charm to hide their true size. Most giants didn't have the means to do so.

"That's true. It is rather frustrating to be left out here. With each passing year, we have less room to roam. The humans have grown too numerous and too widespread." Jinka replies.

Jinka was the current leader of the giants. He was the man that Kaguya was going to have to convince, if she was ever going to get anywhere with recruiting the mighty race. That was fine though. He could be reasoned with.

"Exactly. If everything goes according to my plans, the giants will be free to roam wherever they like." She assures him.

It was Madara that she truly had to concern herself with. Thankfully, love was his kryptonite. It was a good thing that she had ordered his little witch to be killed years ago. Otherwise, she probably never would have been able to recruit him.

Six degrees of separation was always the best policy when it came to things like that. Naori had no clue who was truly responsible for her death and it was going to stay that way. The last thing Kaguya needed was to deal with an angry Madara.

"That does sound rather tempting." Jinka replies.

He was a force to be reckoned with. She had been able to prolong her life to unnaturally long lengths, but Kaguya wasn't oblivious to her increasing fragility.

Oh she was still far more powerful than the likes of Minerva. That woman was certainly formidable in her own right, but she wasn't entirely certain she could have bested Madara in this state. That was why she had to act swiftly.

"I thought that it might. Well think on the matter for awhile. You would not be called upon to fight for a few years. You have time to consider what you want for your people. Do you want a slow extinction or do you want to return to a glorious age of freedom?" The lavender eyed woman inquires sweetly.

After the magical community had reclaimed their birthright, she would have the best scientists and healers on her case. Her time was slowly running out and she knew that. Death's embrace was getting far too close for her liking.

"I shall discuss this matter with my people and we will let you know of our decision. We're honored that you would consider us as your potential allies in this fight though. Most people wouldn't dream of consorting with giants." He states.

"Of course. I see no reason why different magical species can not coexist harmoniously. It is humans who are the real problem. As long as we quarrel with each other, the world will continue to slip from our grasp. That's not something that I intend to let happen." She states plainly.

Jinka nods in agreement. Surely, he could see that she was right. Time was running out for her, but also for the giants. Not only them, but for all of magical kind. The humans would just keep taking and taking until there was nothing left.

Such a fate was not one that she was willing to accept. Kaguya would fight for her own life and the lives of all those with magical blood in their veins. It was a war that needed to be waged and she had no problems starting it.

"Of course. Good day to you Kaguya. Give my best to Madara. He is still rather revered in our community." The giant says.

"I shall be sure to do so." The witch says and with a wink, she uses a portkey to take her leave.

* * *

It didn't take her long to find Madara. Her partner in crime was currently at the Shrieking Shack. She considered that fitting because by the time they were done with everything, there would be much shrieking going on.

"Have the giants agreed to join our cause?" He asks.

"Not yet. They are considering it though. We don't need everyone to agree right away. Right now is about building the foundation of our army . This will take time." She says.

Madara nods his head in understanding. That much was true. Wars weren't won overnight. Still he knew that the end was within sight.

Soon enough, he would have Naori back again. Kaguya could have her new empire and then they would all live happily ever after, he thinks with amusement. Well perhaps that was a bit of a stretch. This was closer to a horror story than a fairytale, but he digressed.

"What's that you got there in that bag of yours?" Kaguya asks.

"Clothes." He answers simply and that's when the witch accioed the back and looks into this.

"Oh these are very nice. I presume these are from Paris. Quite high fashion. I expect you are planning on spoiling her, once she's revived." Kaguya observes and Madara could only nod.

He doubted that he'd ever fully be able to articulate what he felt. So why bother trying? It didn't matter. All that mattered as she was going to be alive again, soon enough.

* * *

Back at the castle, the meeting was adjourned. Sasuke and Naruto were now back in their favorite spot. The Restricted Section. To them, it was romantic because that was where they first got together. It also happened to be a great place to snog.

"That was pretty weird with Gaara." Naruto says.

"I think that he's a Druid. I didn't know anymore or them were still around, but it fits. The wild magic. The temper." The Uchiha says between kisses.

"No. That's not what I meant. I meant the Hinata thing." The blonde says, after returning his boyfriend's kisses.

Gaara had just stopped when Hinata intervened. It was like magic. That meant one of two things. Either Hinata totally had something on the red head or Gaara fancied her.

"Really? That's what you're focused on? Not the fact he performs wandless magic without consciously trying to do so?" Sasuke asks dryly.

"Well yeah. It's Gaara. I expect him to do freaky stuff. That's just who he is. The Hinata thing though. That's new. Do you think he likes her?" The blonde asks.

Sasuke would know. He was another Slytherin. Actually, he was probably the closest thing to a friend that Gaara had. So if anyone would know what was going on with that little psycho, it was probably his boyfriend.

"I don't know, if he does or not. It's his business though. You really should stop being so suspicious of him. The guy is pretty intense, but his heart is in the right place. Well at least I think it is." Sasuke says with a sigh.

Naruto could tell that the Uchiha wasn't too happy that their snogging session had been interrupted. Well he didn't particularly like interrupting it. This was important though. If Gaara actually liked someone, that was big news. Really, big news!

"Why do you say that? I mean does the guy ever talk to someone without looking at them like he wants to kill them?" The blue eyed boy asks.

"Yeah. He does. If it wasn't for him, I might never have had the guts to ask you out. I'm not a Gryffindor, Naruto. That sort of thing doesn't come naturally to me. Gaara gave me some advice. He's a good guy, in his own strange way." The Slytherin tells him.

Naruto blinks. Gaara had been the one to give Sasuke a push? Without Druid, they might not be together. Wow. He never saw that one coming.

"You're saying that GAARA was playing Cupid?!" He demands in disbelief.

"Naruto, not so bloody loud! We're still in the Restricted Section!" Sasuke hisses at him under his breath.

Oh right. Right. They had to be quiet. The last thing either of them needed was to be caught sneaking into this section of the library. That wouldn't end well. Detentions sucked. Majorly.

"Sorry. Sorry, but you're serious? You're not just pulling my leg?" The blonde asks again.

"I'm serious. Gaara encouraged me. He's a good guy. Deep down. I think. He's just a little well intimidating at first. Well he's still intimidating, but you know what I mean." Sasuke tells him.

A little intimidating was putting it rather mildly, Naruto thinks to himself. Gaara was well beyond that point. Still if the red head had helped them, then they should really return the favor.

"A little? Yeah. He's a little intimidating in the same way that a werewolf is a little intimidating. Anyway, you're saying that he helped us. So we should help him. If he likes Hinata, we should help Gaara win her over." Naruto says thoughtfully.

"Naruto, we're trying to catch Orochimaru. Do you really want to add matchmaking on our list of things to do? We have classes, Quidditch, Snogging Sessions, and Orochimaru to deal with. Oh and did I mention Snogging Sessions?!" Sasuke demands.

Oh yeah. Those were very nice. Still it was only fair. He'd just have to cut into their Snuggling Time.

Yes, Sasuke did snuggle. The bastard would probably never admit it, but he did. The Slytherin was actually quite good at doing so, really. Well at least Naruto thought so. It wasn't like he had anyone to compare him to. (Not that he wanted to compare the raven haired wizard to anyone else)!

"Well yeah. We do have a pretty full list, but we can pencil him in. You know under the whole saving the world thing." Naruto says brightly.

"Saving the world is being a bit overdramatic. As far as we know Orochimaru is only trying to mess with us. Not the entire planet." His boyfriend points out.

"That's close enough!" Naruto argues and Sasuke just shakes his head in exasperation.

"Whatever. We should probably go before we get caught." Sasuke says as he leads them off.

* * *

Elsewhere Karin was with Sakura and both girls were working on making a camera magic proof. To say the least, it was a rather frustrating venture. Fortunately, Karin was really smart and Sakura was Muggleborn. So Sakura was reasonably confident that they would be able to pull this off.

"We need some kind of magically resistant material." Karin reasons.

Sakura nods. They couldn't just use a spell to make it resistant to other spells. That would just screw up the camera on its own.

"Wait. I think I got it. Dragon hide! Dragon hide is resistant to some forms of magic. So it might work. If we put the camera inside dragon hide!" The pink haired girl exclaims.

Karin blinks. That's how the Muggleborn knew that the other girl was thinking it over. She was really thinking it over.

"That might work. I'm so happy that I could kiss you!" She says as she hugs her fellow Gryffindor.

Now it was Sakura's turn to blink. Was Karin serious or was she joking around? Obviously, Sasuke and Naruto were together. So there really wasn't any reason why two witches could be together.

"Are you serious?" She asks.

"Well it was more an expression than anything, but if you wanted to try…we could. I mean I really liked Sasuke, but I don't have a chance with him. The man obviously prefers wizards and it's really unlikely that he's going to leave Naruto anytime soon." The bespectacled girl points out.

Sakura nods slowly as she considers this. Well there wasn't really anyone that she fancied anymore. Sasuke obviously didn't bat for her Quidditch Team. That and Karin was nice.

She also had this really pretty hair color. It was like hot pink or something. Much more dramatic than her own feminine looking lighter pink hair. Plus she was really smart. Maybe.

"Well I guess we could try it and see if we like it. If we don't, we don't have to mention it again." Sakura offers.

"Sounds good to me." Karin says as she brushes her lips against the other girls.

Sakura kisses back. It was nice. Karin had watermelon flavored lipstick on. She liked watermelon. Her lips were also soft.

Were guy lips this soft? Maybe, it was a girl thing. Actually, maybe it was a Karin thing. This was actually Sakura's first kiss.

"You're a good kisser. He doesn't know what he missed out on." Karin informs her, a few minutes later.

Both of them were a little breathless. What had started off as a fairly innocent and chaste kiss, hadn't ended that way. They were far from Professional Snoggers, but it was still pretty damn impressive by Third Year Standards! Well at least it was in Sakura's mind.

"Yeah. Same for you. Um what are we going to do about the Dragon Hide though? That sounds pretty expensive." Sakura reminds her.

Did this make them girlfriends? Should she ask? Should Sakura just assume it did? Maybe, it was just an experiment and that was that? She honestly didn't know and that was a little terrifying, but exciting at the same time.

"That's true. It's expensive and normally that would be a problem, but we know two Uchihas and two Hyugas. I'm sure at least one of them can handle getting us the hide." Karin says with a wink.

Yeah. She was pretty and smart. Actually, this might work out better. She felt less nervous around Karin than she had around the youngest Uchiha! This was a good start!

"Good point. I guess we should probably head to the Infirmary then. Itachi is an adult wizard. He can leave the castle to buy the stuff himself. He doesn't have to ask his parents to do it for him. That makes things easier." The pink haired witch reasons.

"Yeah. That's a good point. Let's go ask Itachi. Don't worry. We can do this. We'll catch that creep in the act and then everything can go back to normal." Karin assures her.

"I hope so. It's a little scary. You know? Not know when we're all going to be attacked and having to look over our shoulders all the time." Sakura says and Karin nods in understanding as the two witches make their way to the Infirmary.


	12. A Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone contemplates the disturbing possibility that there might be more than one bad guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It will be narrated from Sasuke's and Madara's perspectives.
> 
> Chapter Notation: Some of the Veela stuff will be Harry Potter Cannon and some will just be my personal spin on it. Hopefully, you all enjoy it.

_Fourth Year._ They were Fourth Years. That meant that they were more than halfway done with Hogwarts. It was a surreal realization to say the least. Sasuke could scarcely believe it.

They still hadn't caught Orochimaru in the act, but today something else was on his mind. Well more specifically, it was on Naruto's mind. Which meant that it was also on the youngest Uchiha's mind because the blonde was his boyfriend.

"Did it ever occur to you that this meddling might backfire? What if Hinata doesn't like him? What if she likes someone else? What if she doesn't want a boyfriend? What if she prefers witches?" Sasuke asks Naruto, a few months later.

Naruto tilts his head as if the last possibility had never really occurred to him. Wow. He had the most innocent boyfriend in the world. Really? He was fifteen and didn't know that witches could prefer witches?!

"Well it could backfire, but I don't think it will. Besides, all those things were a possibility when you asked me out and you did it anyway. So I wouldn't worry about it too much. This will all work out. That and they say opposites attract. Hinata and Gaara are definitely opposites." He retorts cheerfully.

Sasuke mentally groans. He loved Naruto. He really did, but his eternal optimism was both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness. The Gryffindor just wasn't very bloody realistic. That's probably why they fit together so well. They balanced each other out.

"Well yeah. They're opposites, alright." The raven haired ninja mutters.

"So witches can like other witches? Like us? Well that's cool. Didn't really know that was an option." He says brightly.

Sasuke feels himself twitch. Naruto wasn't really dumb, but he could be oblivious about some things. Apparently, he hadn't been aware of the whole rainbow that existed when it came to sexual preferences.

"Yes, Naruto. It's an option. I can't believe that you didn't notice your cousin is dating Sakura. I know that they are trying to be subtle, but you can tell. Well if you know what to look for. Which apparently, you don't." He says.

"Wait. What?! Karin is dating Sakura? But I thought they liked you." The sapphire eyed wizard asks in confusion.

Hmm. Maybe, he shouldn't have said that. Oh well. Naruto was far less likely to go into overprotective mode than Itachi was.

"Yeah. They're dating. They did at once point, but they must have given up. They know I'm happy with you. So it'd be pointless for them to try. Anyway, this whole Gaara thing is going to blow up in our faces. You know that, right?" The Slytherin replies.

"Well you don't look too happy with me right now. I think you need another Snogging Session. You get a little cranky when you don't get your Snogging and Snuggling time." Naruto says thoughtfully.

Sasuke just gapes at his boyfriend. Snuggling? Really? He had better NOT say such things in public or he would show him cranky!

"Naruto, that is really besides the point. The point is I'm telling you that this could blow up in our faces big time and you should really look before you le-" Sasuke starts to chastise him, only to be cut off by the feeling of the blonde's lips against his own.

As he kisses back, he mentally curses himself. Damn it. He was pathetic. Distracted by kisses. If his brother could see him now, he'd be laughing his arse off at him.

The raven haired wizard could feel Naruto smile into the kiss and mentally sighs. Alright. Blondie wins this round, but he would get him back later. He couldn't let Naruto think that he'd get his way, just by kissing him all the time.

"Better?" Naruto asks with a smug smile, after breaking the kiss.

"You can't solve everything by kissing. Kissing is bloody brilliant and everything, but kissing me won't make Hinata return his feelings. We don't even know if she likes witches or wizards. Not too mention, she comes from a really strict old fashioned Pureblood Family. The Hyugas practically invented the term blueblood." The Uchiha warns him.

He really need to ground Naruto in some sort of reality. He didn't want the blonde to come crashing down one day. Really, it was for his own good.

"Wait! That's it! Kissing! Sasuke you're a genius!" The Gryffindor exclaims.

"Well that's what my I.Q. Tests say. What. What are you getting at?" Sasuke asks.

"Mistletoe! We could wait a bit and then put some mistletoe around them. Then they'll have to kiss and they'll realize that they are madly in love! Just like us!" The other wizard continues happily.

Sasuke shakes his head and smacks his forehead. Everything was sunshine and rainbows in Naruto's world. It was nice world, but the real world didn't operate based on "Naruto Logic."

The young Uchiha did realize that was something of an oxymoron. The words Naruto and logic didn't usually go together in the same sentence. Though in this case, he was probably going to have to make that phrase a thing.

"I love you, but they aren't actually going to fall for that. That's one of the oldest tricks in the book. Both of them are way too smart to fall for that and that's assuming Gaara would even participate in a tradition like that. It seems pretty frivolous. Gaara doesn't really do frivolous." Sasuke reminds him.

Naruto sighs and nods. It was apparent that his boyfriend had finally seen reason. Good. Now, they were getting somewhere.

"We'll think of something though. Believe it!" The blonde says.

"Come on. Let's go see if Sakura, Itachi, and Karin have found anything yet." Sasuke says as he offers Naruto his hand and the two of them head off to do exactly that.

* * *

 Meanwhile Sakura and Karin were with Itachi. The Healer in Training had gotten them the dragon hide that they needed and the three of them were now checking the results. Unfortunately, they hadn't found much of anything yet.

"The good news is that the dragon hide appears to be working." Karin says with a sigh.

"The not so good news is that while Orochimaru is being creepy, he hasn't really confessed to attacking us or plot anymore attacks." The jade eyed witch continues.

"He might just be waiting long intervals between attacks to lure us all into a false sense of security." Itachi reasons.

That's when Sasuke and Naruto walk into the Room of Requirement. Where else would the three of them go when they needed to work on top secret stuff? Yeah. That's what the youngest Uchiha thought as well.

"So you didn't find anything?" Sasuke asks and the other three shake their heads.

"Nothing that we can use against him. It's unsettling, but all legal. I'll play the tape." Karin says as she hits play.

_That's when the footage played Orochimaru in his Potions Classroom. He was there with Kabuto. So far, Sasuke wasn't entirely surprised by anything._

_"I think the Dueling Club is going rather well. So many promising students." Orochimaru said._

_"That's true, but I don't think that you'll able to mold many of them. It's not like the old days where promising witches and wizards knew that it was smart to find a mentor. These children think that they can do it all on their own." Kabuto replied._

_Orochimaru nodded. He seemed to be in deep thought as he looked at the clock. Then he turned his attention back to his book. It was likely that he had been planning a lesson._

_"That's true. Still Itachi has elected to stay at Hogwarts and Sasuke is still here. Two Uchihas would be quite the fine feather in my cap. Not to mention there are also two Hyugas. Neji is certainly the more assertive of the two, but Hinata is more docile. More easily swayed." The other man observed thoughtfully._

_Kabuto nodded in agreement. He paused for a moment before continuing. The wizard probably just wanted the opportunity to collect his thoughts._

_"There are even some promising Half-Bloods and Muggleborns. Sakura is quite skilled at Charms and Naruto excels in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Temari and Shikamaru are also geniuses. The list goes on and on. These students will go far." He continued._

_"That's true. When they are adults, they will back me for my bid to become Headmaster. Minerva is certainly growing older. She can't fully expect to run this school forever. She's no Professor Binns." He finished._

"It's all creepy, but nothing in there shows him as being guilty." Naruto says.

"Wait. Freeze it. I think I saw something." Sasuke orders them.

Karin does so and Sasuke looks. It was only for a second, but he was pretty sure that he had seen something. A hand! He had seen a hand!

"I think that we aren't the only one's spying on Orochimaru." He whispers.

**"Good eye, Brat."** The Sorting Hat says as he strides into the Room of Requirement.

Sasuke frowns as he looks at the tape again. It was too short. Even enhancing the image did look good. It could have been anyone.

"So someone else is watching Professor Creepy. That kinda implies that he might not be the guy." Naruto says.

"Yes, it does imply that. Though I wouldn't rule him out. Just because there might another bad guy, doesn't mean that Orochimaru is good." Itachi reasons.

The youngest Uchiha nods in agreement. It was quite possible that Orochimaru was up to something shady and so was someone else. Then again, they were spying on Orochimaru and they were the good guys.

"How do we know that it isn't just someone else who knows Orochimaru is stark, raving mad?" The raven haired wizard asks.

"That's a good question. We should probably talk to the others though." Sakura says with a sigh.

"Don't worry. It'll be alright. We'll catch whoever this is and the Headmistress is also working really hard to catch them." Karin says as she squeezes Sakura's hand reassuringly.

At this Sasuke gives Naruto a smug look! Ha! Irrefutable proof! He was right. Maybe, next time his boyfriend will believe him sooner about such things!

"Right. Yeah. Let's get the others in on this." Naruto says and they nod in agreement.

* * *

 Elsewhere Madara was meeting with a large group of Veelas. Kaguya certainly didn't discriminate when it came to magical beings. She was surely attempting to build an army.

He knew why the witch had sent him for this mission. Veelas would always feel more comfortable speaking with a man than a woman. They thought their Allure could control any man.

"Thank you, for welcoming me into your lovely home." He says with a charming smile.

They were wrong. Oh they were certainly beautiful and their Allures were making his senses a bit hazy, but he had something far more powerful on his side than mere pheromones or whatever made their magic work.

Madara had love. Real love. Not the kind that was a magically produced illusion. Still he supposed that it was better to allow them to believe that they had control of the situation for now.

"You're most welcome. It's so rare to see a wizard with manners these days. Most would already be panting like dogs by now." A beautiful woman says.

He could only assume that she was the leader. The others seemed to defer to her. That was just fine with him. It was easier to negotiate when you knew who was in charge.

"That's true. I'm afraid that my gender has always been a slave to their baser instincts. Though I would very much like to know to whom I have the honor of addressing?" Madara inquires.

He knew that he was laying it on thick. Women tended to like that though. Naori always did. That and these women were Veelas. Dramatic overtures were their specialty.

"I am Aiya. Queen of the Veelas. Well of this Court anyway. There is no need to ask who you are though. Kaguya told us that Madara Uchiha would be coming to visit us. You've been quite the topic of interest ever since." She tells her him as she waves a fan in front of her face.

Her hair was as red as roses and looked like it was made of pure silk. Her eyes were green like emeralds and she looked rather stunning in her sky blue robes that framed her womanly figure, quite nicely.

In his youth, Madara likely would have been completely besotted. That was before Naori though. Before he knew the difference between animal attraction and genuine affection.

"Then it is my honor to speak with you, Your Majesty. I trust that Kaguya briefed you on the situation at hand." He asks.

"She did give me the short version. The two of you want the magical community to come out of the shadows. We wouldn't have to hide from Muggles, anymore. It would also be a more equal society. Witches and Wizards do not always consider us human. Some consider us little more than intelligent animals. Can you believe that?" The woman hisses.

Madara did feel sympathy towards the Veela and other magical creatures with human intelligence who were treated at best as novelties and at worst as public menaces based on their species. That wasn't his main concern at the moment though.

"Yes, I imagine that must get rather vexing. We can change all that though. We can make a better world for all of us." He assures her.

"Those are fair words, but I suppose we shall see if you'll live up to them. I shall speak with my fellow Veela and get their counsel on the matter. I may be Queen, but I am no slave owner." Aiya states.

"Of course, Your Majesty. That is a most measured and reasonable response." Madara says with a bow.

* * *

 Back at Hogwarts, the group had gathered once more. Itachi was currently trying to ensure that everyone could muster a powerful Shield Charm. The last thing that they needed was to get sneak attacked again and not have everyone able to contribute.

"You're saying that you saw a hand?" Kankuro asks.

"Yeah. It was definitely a hand. Someone was using an Invisibility Cloak. I would bet my life on it." Sasuke says.

He watches as everyone absorbs that information. It was obvious what they were thinking. There were really three possibilities and most of them knew what they were.

"Well we could assume that Orochimaru wasn't behind this after all. Though given his track record, I'm not certain that I want to dismiss him as a suspect." Neji offers.

Sasuke nods in agreement. Orochimaru was clearly ambitious and not entirely right in the head. He still wouldn't put it past him to be involved in their attacks. He might simply be spacing them out to throw everyone off the trail.

"What if someone else is spying on him for the same reason that we are?" Shikamaru suggests.

That was another option. One that Sasuke had considered. He nods his head again in acknowledgement.

"We've considered that as well." Itachi says smoothly.

**"There could also be two sets of bad guys that are keeping tabs on each other without the other being aware of it."** The Sorting Hat adds.

This was all getting rather confusing. Sasuke wasn't really sure what they were going to do about any of this. Though he knew that they would have to act and soon.

"For now, we should leave everything on the table." Shino says.

"Yeah. Though I still think that Orochimaru is up to something. We should probably play the tape. That way everyone gets a chance to look at it. Someone else might notice something that we missed." Naruto offers.

Sasuke quickly hits play and everyone watches it. They all had equal looks of disgust on their faces. No one seemed to react differently to the tape that he noticed.

That meant that it probably wasn't another student. The young Uchiha couldn't help but feel an enormous sense of relief at this. He really didn't want it to be another person that he knew well. That would suck.

"You're right. It's a hand, but that doesn't tell us much." Jugo says.

"It could be anyone." Suigetsu says with a sigh, clearly feeling just as frustrated as Sasuke was about the whole matter.

 Unbeknownst to Sasuke. Someone had frozen up when they saw that tape. They just hide it well.

Someone had recognized their hand on that video, but they couldn't remember ever sneaking around outside of Orochimaru's Office. That was what terrified them. How could they have done it and not remembered doing so?

"We'll find out who did this. I think we're getting closer." Ino says encouragingly.

**"Well you're mostly Fourth Years now with quite a few older than that. You're running out of time. Though I suspect that whoever is behind this won't follow you after Hogwarts. You'll be too spread out. They might target other students."** The Hat says.

Sasuke frowns at that. The Hat had a point. What seemed to be going on here was a crime of opportunity.

He had been an easy mark when he was trying out for Quidditch. Then there had been the celebration where everyone was. It had been another chance for a would be attacker to get in an easy shot.

"They're still trying to scare us, but I can't for the life of me figure out why." He admits.

"With all of us banding together, they don't have any chance." Lee chimes merrily.

"Of course. Besides, we have the Sorting Hat and Itachi on our side. Wouldn't want to go up against any of them." Shino says.

"Shino! You talked!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.

Sasuke sighs and wraps his hand around his boyfriend's mouth. No good would come of the blonde continuing to provoke the insect lover. It didn't matter that said blonde didn't realize that he was now on very thin ice when it came to the Slytherin.

Shino was definitely twitch. Oh boy. This could get ugly, Sasuke thinks to himself as he watches the other Slytherin.

"Naruto, is now really the time to be focusing on how often Shino talks?" Gaara asks in exasperation.

"Yeah. I guess you're right. So what are we going to do?" The sapphire eyed wizard asks.

Well they could keep watching Orochimaru. If they did that, they might find out who was watching the Potions Master and why. That would be a start.

"We'll keep an eye on Professor Sannin. We should also probably try to watch Tsunade and Jirayia. I know that they are friends with him. They all went to school together. For all we know, it could be one of them watching him." The youngest Uchiha suggests.

"That's true. Very clever, Sasuke. Perhaps, you are finally outgrowing your foolish phase." Itachi comments brightly and now, it was Sasuke's turn to twitch.

Did Itachi really have to embarrass him like that with everyone watching? He couldn't do it in private? Sheesh. The man didn't have any real boundaries!

"Itachi." He growls warningly.

"Oh don't growl at me in such a fashion. I was paying you a compliment. In any case, I think that we've agreed that we should all continue on our present course of action. Until then, I suggest the Buddy System." Itachi says.

There were murmurs of confusion. Apparently, not everyone understood what that meant. Thankfully, Haku saved the day.

"The Buddy System means that you don't go anywhere without at least one friend with you. We're stronger in pairs than separately. Unfortunately, we can all be together all the time." Haku reasons.

"Thank you, Haku. That is precisely what I meant." The elder Uchiha brothers says with a charming smile.

The Buddy System didn't seem like a bad idea. It might prevent them from getting attacked. It was something at least.

Though it did give him an idea. Naruto was dead set on hooking Gaara up with Hinata. This provided a wonderful chance to allow that to happen.

"Everyone pair off." Sasuke says, immediately taking Naruto's hand.

More and more witches and wizards paired off. Sasuke had done the myth. He knew who would go with who. There would only be two people left. Gaara and Hinata by default.

Gaara glances at Sasuke and the Uchiha mentally gulps. The red head wasn't an idiot. He knew exactly what Sasuke was doing.

**"Alright, kiddies. It looks like everyone has their Buddy as you call it. I shall go and speak to Minerva. She might know something. Thanks for the legs, once again. I really do enjoy not having to bum rides from that bird anymore."** The Sorting Hat says as he walks off.

The young Slytherin could only hope that the Druid wouldn't be too angry with him. Druids had powerful magic. Wild magic, especially when they got emotional about something.

"Well that looks like everyone's all set. Like the Hat said, there's really no point in waiting around all day. Ino, you coming?" Kiba asks his girlfriend.

At some point, the dog lover had won over the diva. Sasuke wasn't really sure when that happened. He didn't care really. It was just interesting to note. Love was really in the air at Hogwarts.

"Yeah. I'm coming!" She says as he heads off with Kiba.

"I better get out of here too. I have a Potions Essay due tomorrow." Choji says mournfully as he heads off.

* * *

 Soon enough, everyone began to disperse. They could only meet in secret for so long before someone noticed that they were all missing. It was safer to keep their meetings brief.

"Well that went well." Naruto says, once he and Sasuke were alone in the Room of Requirement.

"Yeah. Better than I expected. Well they're Buddies now. So don't make me do anything else. The romance will either happen or it won't." Sasuke informs him.

"Wait. You did that on purpose?" Naruto asks with a grin.

Really, the blonde was almost pathetically easy to please. Which was probably a good thing, especially considering that Sasuke didn't know what he was doing. Well at least half the time, anyway.

"Yes, I did it on purpose. I knew who would pair up with who. That left Hinata and Gaara by default." Sasuke says smugly.

"Bastard, that was bloody brilliant." The Gryffindor says.

"I know." Sasuke replies with a smirk, feeling particularly pleased by his own cleverness.


	13. A Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaara continues bonding with Hinata as the students continue their magical training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. This chapter will be mostly narrated from Gaara's perspective and a tiny bit from Madara's.

Gaara couldn't believe that that the Uchiha had actually pulled something like that. Though in retrospect, he probably should have seen it coming. Sasuke was dating Naruto and Naruto was definitely a romantic.

"Hinata, are you alright? You're shaking." Gaara comments as he walks the shy witch back towards the Hufflepuff Dorms.

"Yes. I'm f-fine. I just can't believe all this. I never thought that Hogwarts would actually be dangerous. Not after Voldemort was d-defeated again." The Hyuga Heiress stammers out nervously.

Right. She was afraid. Unfortunately, she might have good reason to be. Whoever was behind this had been lurking around for years. They've been prancing around the grounds unprotected and attacking students for years.

It was a good thing whoever was doing this seemed to be playing with them. Otherwise, they might already be dead. The red head just couldn't figure out why this was happening.

"I don't think it was Orochimaru, but I wouldn't put it past him to be up to something else." He admits.

"I don't think it was Orochimaru either. He wants to be Headmaster. Attacking st-udents isn't a very good way to go about that. If he gets caught, Professor Sannin could end up in p-prison. I don't think that he would risk it." Hinata says.

Gaara nods in agreement. All of that was true of course, but still Orochimaru made him feel uneasy. The way that he eyed the Uchihas and Hyugas was just creepy (and that wasn't a word that he used lightly).

"We'll figure this out. We have people from every House banding together. That sort of thing doesn't happen very often. The Ravenclaws are smart. They'll come up with something. The Gryffindors can be bait. That's what they are really good at because they don't have any common sense and never look before they leap. My House is very good at plotting and Hufflepuffs are very hardworking. So between all of us, we should be able to manage just fine." The Slytherin says.

Hinata blinks. That's when Gaara realizes why. He probably had never spoken that much at once in all his years at Hogwarts. The girl was probably freaked out.

Great. He was already a freak in her eyes and he had only been trying to comfort her. Gaara just didn't know how to talk to witches or anyone really. It wasn't his skill set outside of combat.

"Yeah. I guess that's true. Thank you." Hinata says as she offers him a shy hug.

_She was touching him! She was touching him voluntarily!_ Gaara didn't know how to respond to this. No one had ever done that before since he was a baby. No one hugged him!

That was probably because they had functional self-preservation instincts, he thinks to himself. People knew better than to touch him. Normally, that would result in his sand lashing out at them.

"You're welcome." Gaara whispers as he gingerly hugs her back.

Hinata was different though. She had always been different. Quieter and more innocent. Apparently, that innocence prevented her from seeing that he was very, very dangerous.

His magic didn't work the same way as everyone else. Oh he COULD do wand magic and he did. He did wand magic well actually, but it wasn't his natural state of being. It was much easier just to forego incantations and foolish wand waving for him.

"Thank you, for walking me back to my Dorm. I should be okay now. The other Hufflepuffs should be here soon." HInata mumbles.

There were times when it worked, even without him wanting to. He knew that many children had that "problem," but Gaara had never really outgrown it. His magic was practically its own entity, really.

"I can stay with you until they get here. There's no reason to take any chances." He whispers to her.

Why he was whispering, Gaara wasn't sure. The Slytherin figured that he just didn't want to ruin the moment. It was unlikely that Hinata was ever going to hug him again. He might as well enjoy the moment and prolong it as long as possible.

He had told Sasuke that it was unbecoming of a Slytherin to act like a lovesick puppy and that was true. His affection for Hinata was more dignified and quiet than the fiery passion that Sasuke had for Naruto. Everyone knew those two were meant to be together. That wasn't the case for him and the Hyuga Princess though.

"That's very nice of you." Hinata says with a sweet smile.

She'd called him nice? His fairytale princess was off her rocker. Him and nice didn't belong in the same sentence. Though he didn't have the heart to correct her.

Not when she was looking at him with those big lavender orbs. They looked like bubbles really. Lavender and silvery bubbles that perfectly showed every emotion in her pretty little head.

"See, bastard?! I told you this would work!" He hears someone say and his eyes narrow.

They must be using a charm to hide themselves. Oh for Merlin's Sake, Naruto and Sasuke were actually spying on his walk with Hinata. That was pathetic.

If those two weren't attached at the hip, the red head probably would have Sand Coffined Naruto. It might teach him a valuable lesson about respecting privacy. Sadly, the Uchiha would never allow that.

"Gaara, are you alright? You look a little angry." Hinata asks anxiously.

"Oh yes. I'm fine. I'm just angry that someone is terrorizing all of us. We'll find out who is doing it though. Don't worry." The red head assures her.

Just then a group of Hufflepuffs make their way over to them. They were with their respective buddies. Gaara sighs, knowing that was his cue to leave.

"She'll be safe with us." Kankuro says as he sees his younger brother with the Hyuga witch.

"I know. I'm heading back to the Slytheirn Common Room." Gaara mutters.

"Shouldn't you be with someone though?" The bluenette reminds him.

"That won't be an issue. Sasuke and Naruto were apparently spying on us, anyway. So I'll just walk back with them." He states bluntly.

Serves them right. How dare they spy on them? The Uchiha was lucky that he was the closest thing to a friend that Gaara had or else he would have hexed him for this little stunt!

"Gaara, what are you talking about?" Kankuro asks in confusion.

"There's no one else here." Jugo adds softly.

Oh they were here, alright. Gaara knew that much. The star-crossed lovers were here and watching them. Well maybe, star-crossed was stretching it a bit. They were from different Houses. It wasn't like Sasuke's and Naruto's love was particularly tragic.

At worst, it meant that they had to be more thorough in their planning. After all, they didn't share the same Common Room and Sleeping Area. Most of their Lessons weren't together either. So they had to find ways to maximize the time they had together. Which apparently, they were rather good at doing.

"Sorry, Gaara." Sasuke apologizes as he and Naruto dispel the charm that had hidden them from sight.

"That's not very youthful! You really shouldn't be using magic between classes and hiding in hallways to spy on people!" Lee scolds them.

Gaara mentally groans. He never thought that he'd actually agree with Lee, but apparently pigs really did fly. Will wonders never cease?

"He's right. It doesn't matter now though. Let's get going." The Slytherin says as he heads off with Sasuke and Naruto.

"We should probably take Naruto back to the Gryffindor Dorms first. That way he isn't alone and we'll still be with each other on the way back to ours." Sasuke reasons.

"I should probably hex both of you for spying on me, but I'm not going to do so. You're very lucky, that I like you. If I didn't, you both would have been Sand Coffined by now." Gaara growls at him.

He was pleased to see that Naruto and Sasuke looked suitably nervous after that. Good. Let them be nervous. They deserved to be nervous!

"Oh come on! We were just trying to help you. If you like her, you should tell Hinata that." The bubbly blonde says.

"Naruto, it's really not that easy. You're lucky because you didn't have to make the first move. It's pretty terrifying to do it." The raven haired wizard replies.

Gaara mentally sighs. It looked like the Gryffindor didn't understand the meaning of the word fear. It really was such a Gryffindor trait. If reincarnation was possible, the Slytherin wouldn't be shocked to learn that Naruto was Godric himself.

It was an interesting though and one that he would ponder later. For now though, the red head knew that it would be smarter to focus on them getting back to their respective dorms. So that's what he did.

* * *

A few days later, Itachi was attempting to teach them all Patronous Charms. Gaara wasn't really sure what the logic of this was. He doubted they were going to go up against Dementors, but he supposed it couldn't hurt.

**"Are you sure about this? They're a little young to be casting magic this advanced."** The Hat says.

That was unexpected. Usually, the Hat was fairly reckless. It was a smart Hat, but he was a bored creature. Not that Gaara could blame him. The poor thing had been mostly locked away in a cupboard for almost centuries.

The Hat was enjoying his newfound freedom and the red head certainly didn't begrudge him that. He probably would have done the same thing, assuming that he had kept any of his sanity intact from all that solitary confinement.

"I'm sure about this. They're all tremendously gifted in their own way and it's time for them to start learning more about advanced magic." Itachi says.

"Let me guess, Kisame's is a shark." Sasuke says smugly.

"Good guess, my foolish little brother." The elder Uchiha replies.

Gaara snorts in amusement when he saw Sasuke blink. He had probably been joking. Though a shark did really fit Kisame.

"I was only joking!" The raven haired wizard says.

"I know, but that is actually his Patronous. Mine is an eagle." Itachi says as he casts the incantation and an eagle made out of magic soars around the Room of Requirement.

"I guess that explains why you use Avis so much!" Kiba laughs and Itachi shakes his head in amusement.

Gaara watches as Itachi helps more and more people cast Expecto Patronum. Most people didn't get it on their first try and often there were more shadows of magic than an actual shape before they finally cast a fully complete one.

Idly, he decides to note the various Patronouses by House. It seemed as good a way to remember them as any. Besides, one never really knew when such information might come in handy.

"I got a hummingbird!" Ino cries out joyfully a few minutes later.

Ino was the first Gryffindor to get hers. Not surprisingly, Kiba's was a wolf. Karin's was definitely amongst the largest. She got a giraffe. Choji got a Rhino. Most amusingly though, Sakura got a Flamingo.

"A Flamingo?! I didn't even know that was possible." Sakura says as she ponders the situation.

"It suits you billboard brow. It's pink just like your hair." Ino says as she smugly watches her hummingbird flit about.

"What'd you say to me, Ino Pig?!" The Gryffindor Witch demands.

That's when Naruto tries to cast his. Perhaps not surprisingly, he got a lion. That really did suit him. Not only because of his House, but because he was such a social creature.

"Wow! This is really cool!" Naruto says happily.

**"I'm beginning to think that I'm on a Safari."** The Sorting Hat observes.

Gaara couldn't disagree with him as more and more of their people began to make their own Patronous. The Ravenclaws were now beginning to cast theirs in earnest.

"A leopard." Neji calls out in wonder.

Gaara had to admit that was pretty cool. Shikamaru got a Koala for some reason, probably because they were just as sleepy as him. Temari got a cat. Truthfully, he had seen that one coming from a mile away.

"Alright everyone, you're doing great. Let's keep this moving." Itachi says happily.

The Puffs were next. Jugo got the largest with an Elephant. Gaara doubted anyone was going to be able to top that one, anytime soon in terms of sheer size. Haku's Patronous turned out to be a dove. Tenten was surprising, she got a Zebra though. Still there were other shockers.

"A bloody Platypus! Really?" Kankuro grumbles.

"I don't know. It's kinda cute and definitely unique." Sakura says consolingly, though his brother still seemed less than convinced.

Lee was a golden retriever and Hinata was a swan. Those two he expected. Lee was always eager to please much like the beloved pet and Hinata was as graceful as a swan. They matched up well.

Finally, there was the Slytherin House. Shino was Shino. He got a dragonfly. That man was obsessed with bugs. Suigetsu got a dolphin. Which was pretty cool. Of course,, there was still him and Sasuke left.

**"Come on. Let's see what everyone's favorite psycho and Mini Uchiha got!"** The Sorting Hat exclaims.

At that moment, Gaara wonders if it was actually possible to strangle a hat. Maybe. If he didn't knock it off, he was about to find out.

"Expecto Patronum!" Sasuke thunders out.

The red head didn't miss that annoyed twitch though. Sasuke wasn't any happier about being called a Mini Uchiha than he was about being called a psycho. Then again, he supposed both labels were accurate. Whatever.

"A tiger. Rawr. That's impressive." Itachi comments slyly.

"Hey, bastard! We match! Kinda. Well we both got big cats anyway." Naruto says with a cheeky grin as he kisses his boyfriend's cheek.

Gaara knew it was petty, but he felt jealous. Most of the others were slowly pairing off. As much as he liked his Hyuga Princess, he knew that was never actually going to happen.

Her family was blueblooded. He was a Half-Blood. Not only that, but he probably scared her as much as he scared anyone else though. The witch might have hugged him, but that was likely only because she was frightened of the impending threat.

"Go ahead, Gaara. You can do this." Temari says encouragingly.

His siblings had been trying to bond with him lately. He supposed they might feel guilty about them not having what Itachi and Sasuke did. That or their father's influence was waning now that they were getting closer to adulthood.

"Expecto Patronum!" Gaara says as the magic shoots out his wand and takes the form of an Arabian Horse.

This was apparently much to the delight of the witches in the room. They were all rather eager to attempt to pet it. Gaara blinks.

If he had known it was that easy to get Hinata's attention, he would have cast this bloody spell ages ago. She liked horses. His Patronous was a horse. That was a start.

"Good job, everyone! Now you should head off before you're late to your next class." He says.

* * *

Gaara nods and heads off to Ancient Runes. This class he had with the Hufflepuffs. That was just fine with him. It meant more time with Hinata.

It was taught by a man known as Tobi Rama. He was a rather impressive looking man with long dark wild hair that he wore in ponytail and onyx black eyes. He had taken to wearing the finest silk robes.

"Alright, class. Turn to page 84 and let's get started." He says.

That's when Gaara notices something that he never had before. The man was using a Glamour on his face. It was to hide a scar. He had been slashed by something. Something that resembled claw or talon marks.

He turn his head to tell Hinata this, but the girl had already opened her book. It could wait then. The scar would still be there by the end of class.

"Excellent work, Mr. Sabaku. Five points to Slytherin." Tobi says about an hour later, when he walks around the room inspecting the various students' work.

"Thank you." The red head says.

That's when he notices that Hinata was still staring at an Ancient Rune. She was concentrating on it particularly hard for some reason. Before, he could look over to see what it was, Tobi was already standing in front of her. The man was blocking his view!

"And you did an excellent job as well. Five points to Hufflepuff." Tobi says.

The man was fairly liberal with his awarding of points. Gaara thought that was because Runes was a difficult class. So he wanted to reward people for doing well, the few times that it happened.

Personally, the red head loved this class. There was something incredibly appealing about ancient magic. It probably had something to do with the fact that he was a Druid himself.

"T-thank you." Hinata stammers out nervously.

* * *

After class, Gaara was walking Hinata back to her dorm. He figured now as good a time as ever to tell her what he noticed. It could be nothing, but it might be something.

"Professor Rama is using a Glamour to hide a scar on his face. It looks like he was attacked by an animal." He says.

"That's strange. Why wouldn't he use magic to fix it before it scarred?" Hinata wonders.

"You're guess is as good as mine." The Slytherin replies with a shrug.

Hinata seemed to be as much at a loss as he was. That's when he overheard First Trio of Hogwarts walking by. Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.

He quickly grabs Hinata and pulls her to the side. The last thing that any of them needed was for the adults to realize that they were spying. That could only end in disaster. Gaara was sure of it.

"The Veelas and Giants have been acting rather strangely lately." Tsunade says in a worried tone.

"Yes, it's not like the Giants to wander off so far from their reserves. The Aurors have been working overtime, erasing the memories of any Muggles that happen to see them." Jirayia adds.

The giants were acting strangely and they were being attacked. Gaara doubted those two things were a coincidence. Still that didn't explain why they were so nervous about the Veela.

"And the Veela have been seducing more wizards than before. All levels from students to those with prestigious positions. It's as they've decided to cause chaos for the sake of chaos." Orochimaru chimes in.

That was bad. Gaara knew enough about Veelas to realize what they were capable of. The giants were a major threat for obvious reasons, but the Veelas presented the more subtle one.

In some ways, the Veelas were more dangerous in his view. There was the possibility for them to bewitch half of the population, if they really wanted to. The giants could smash down walls with ease, but they couldn't ensnare the senses in the same way the Veelas could.

"This isn't good." He whispers to Hinata.

The bluenette nods in agreement. She was more than smart enough to realize what this could mean. Their attacker was on the move.

For whatever reason, their antics were no longer confined to Hogwarts. It was spreading. Spreading to other species.

"No, it's not. We have to tell the others." Hinata whispers back as the two of them dart off.

* * *

Little did Gaara know that things were just getting started. Madara and Kaguya weren't content to stop with Veelas and Giants. They were recruiting an army.

An army which had already gained a foothold in the school. One small foothold. Madara felt guilty for doing it, but he knew that it had to be done.

"Wonderful work, Madara. A little Imperio can go a long way." Kaguya says as she cackles madly.

There were three Unforgivable Curses. Imperio was one of them. It could control another person. That was what he had done to an innocent student.

He felt bile rising in his throat. Madara hides that though. He couldn't let Kaguya see that he was less than thrilled about his current task. If he wanted Naori back, that meant he was going to have to do some unpleasant things.

"The child is watching the faculty at the school. That way we will known, if they are onto us." He says simply.

That was simply the way it was. Naori would likely never forgive him, if she knew that he was willing to Curse a student in such a fashion. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her though.

He'd do anything to get her back. Besides, he hadn't hurt them. They were simply acting as a spy. Thanks to a few powerful Memory Charms, the poor kid didn't even realize they were doing it.

"Brilliant. Sheer brilliance. Well the Veelas and Giants seem to have been won over. I was thinking that we should recruit the Leprechauns next." She suggests.

Leprechauns? This woman had to be out of her bloody mind. Giants were largely simple creatures in his view. They were powerful, but their wants and needs were easily met. Veelas were far more demanding, but it wasn't a mystery what hey wanted. Leprechauns though were completely different.

They were completely unpredictable. Kaguya was playing with fire. Surely, she had to know that. Was she really so reckless that she was willing to take such a grave risk?

"We don't need them. The Veela, the giants, and those from our own community should be more than enough for us to win the day." The Uchiha informs her.

He had changed his name to teach at Hogwarts. He'd gone through many name changes over the years, actually. The name Madara Uchiha was well known throughout the world. So if he wanted to remain anonymous, it had been a necessary evil.

Madara did enjoy teaching Ancient Runes though. If it was up to him, Naori would still be alive and they would both be teaching at Hogwarts together. He was tired of fighting, but it seemed he would have at least one final battle before that would be allowed to happen.

"Madara, don't question me. Not if you want your pretty little witch back. We're recruiting the leprechauns and that is that." Kaguya snaps at him.

The woman was psychotic. The sooner she got what she wanted, the better. All he wanted was the woman he loved back. Unfortunately, that meant that he had to go to extreme lengths to make that wish come true and he was more than willing to do that. Anyone that got in the way, well they would simply be collateral damage.


	14. Sir Fredrick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the students continue trying to band together to determine who is behind everything, the Sorting Hat finally gets a more formal name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. This one will take place from the Sorting Hat's perspective.
> 
> Chapter Notation: This takes place during the Rookie Nine's Fifth Year.

A few months had passed and another term had started. One that would have proven amusing for many reasons in a normal year. Many of the brats were now in Fifth Year. That meant two things. O.W.L.S. and romance.

Normally, the Sorting Hat would have been quite content to just watch that play out. It sure was more entertaining than sitting in the cupboard for 364 days out of the year. (Unless it was a Leap Year, then it was 365 days out of the year).

"Hey, Gaara what's that you got there?" Suigetsu asks the red head.

He was currently in the Slytherin Common Room. It was by far the most entertaining of the four House Common Rooms. Well Gryffindor was entertaining, but it was far too loud for his tastes.

The Sorting Hat knew that this wasn't going to end well though. Gaara was the sort who preferred to be left to his own devices. The Druid would make only a few exceptions and unfortunately for Suigetsu, he was not on that list.

"Nothing that concerns you." The Druid hisses at him.

Last year, had been interesting. They now knew that someone was watching Orochimaru and Hufflepuff had actually won the House Cup. The Sorting Hat felt rather proud of the Puffs. It was nice to see the underdogs win, every now and then.

"Alright. Alright. Just asking. Geez. You really need to get a Snogging Partner. Merlin knows, it did wonders for the Ice Prince over there!" The violet eyed wizard continues.

This boy had no sense of self-preservation instincts. That's what made him so delightfully amusing to watch. Well at least in the Sorting Hat's mind, anyway.

"What'd you call me?" Sasuke demands as he storms over towards Suigetsu.

"Whoa. Whoa. Chill, Sassy. I was just saying that you were way more uptight before you got yourself a hot blonde to snog your brains out." The other Slytherin defends himself.

Oh this was going to be good. The Uchiha was going to tear this one limb from limb. At this rate, the Sorting Hat didn't think that it would be long until a Severing Charm was brandied about!

"You know, my brother is training to be a Healer. He works in the Infirmary. That means the Infirmary will look the other way, if I send you there with a Boiling Charm on your arse or something. Stop checking out my boyfriend! You pervert!" The Uchiha practically snarls at him.

Hmm. Boiling Charm on the arse. Not bad. Though the Sorting Hat would have chosen a far more gruesome location. Still the kid had potential. Sasuke really was a Slytherin, after all.

"Easy! No need to get all serial killer on me! Sheesh! I think I'm gonna go to the Library or something." Suigetsu says as he starts edging towards the door.

"That would be a good idea. I can't imagine that they'd look the other way, if we actually killed you." Gaara says thoughtfully.

Sasuke had potential, but the red head was in a league of his own. They were both wonderfully sadistic in their own way. He couldn't be prouder! This must be what having children was like.

Upon hearing that, Suigetsu makes a rather quick exit. This was much to the amusement of the Uchiha and Druid. The two of them laugh.

"So what did he do this time?" Sasuke asks.

"Oh he was just being nosy. It's none of his business that Hinata and I were writing to each other over the summer." He states.

Well that was an interesting development. Perhaps the wallflower's genes and the little psycho's genes would balance each other out somehow. They might actually have a "normal" kid.

"Really? That's great! What'd she say? Well if you want to tell me. I'll but out if it's personal." The raven haired wizard assures him.

"Well most of it, I imagine you could guess. Mostly she's worried about our attackers and her family's demands on her. They demand perfection. I don't think that anyone could really be happy in such an environment." The red head replies.

Sasuke nods sympathetically. From what the Sorting Hat gathered, the Uchihas were certainly warmer than the Hyugas. Though he had to admit, the Hyugas were a formidable family. There was as reason why they were mostly a bunch of cold fish.

"That makes sense. So what's up with Tobi's scar?" Sasuke asks.

"I wish I knew. He clearly doesn't want people to see it though. Professor Rama wouldn't Glamour it, if he did. Though why he didn't heal it naturally, is anyone's guess." The other Slytherin says.

That was a good point. There were ways to prevent scars, if you treated them with magic quickly enough. That implied that the man hadn't had access to them. Most peculiar.

**"He must have been attacked in a rather remote area. Otherwise, he would have used something to prevent the scar."** He says thoughtfully.

* * *

A few hours later, the Gryffindors were having an Astronomy lesson with the Slytherins. That meant that the Sorting Hat got to observe Naruto and Sasuke together. That was always a grand show.

"Come on, Bastard. Share the telescope." Naruto says.

"I'll give you the scope when I'm done. I'm almost done. You really just need to learn to be more patient." Sasuke says as he writes down a few notes.

Naruto and patience were certainly not words that should ever go together. The blonde was anything, but patient. He really was such a Gryffindor.

"That's not what you said last night when we were snogging and you couldn't wait to sneak off to the Room of Requirement. So you cast that Silencing Charm." The sapphire eyed wizard taunts his boyfriend.

Sasuke's face blushes as red as a tomato. That was hilarious because tomatoes were his favorite food. His boyfriend had a ramen fetish though. Kids these days just didn't appreciate proper food in his mind.

"Naruto!" Sasuke hisses at him in warning.

"What? You're the one who was going on about me being impatient. So I was just pointing out that you're being a hypocritical bastard." The blonde says smugly.

These two had about a fifty percent chance of killing each other, but they were fun to watch. The Sorting Hat did love being outside of that damn closet. There was so much excitement to be had here.

"Look! A shooting star!" Karin calls out excitedly.

Everyone's attention was turned immediately towards the shooting star. It was beautiful. Of course, if the Sorting Hat had any idea what it really was… he wouldn't have been so quick to admire it.

"Alright class. As you can see, you never know what wonders of the universe you might find in Astronomy." Rin says.

Rin was Obito's wife. He was a lucky man, really. The woman was a very pretty witch, even the Sorting Hat could see that and he wasn't human!

"Yeah. That is pretty cool!" Suigetsu says.

"Beautiful." Shino agrees, never being one to waste words when he could accurately describe the situation concisely.

Honestly, the Bug Boy did creep the Sorting Hat out a bit. That didn't really matter though. His heart was in the right place.

"Make a wish, Billboard Brow!" Ino tells her friend.

"Quiet, Ino Pig! I'm trying to watch the show!" The pink haired girl says.

The Sorting Hat watches as Karin holds her hand subtly. Yes. Those two were still going strong. Well, that was good.

He didn't particularly care for what gender people were. That was irrelevant when it came to love. Well, at least from his perspective, it was. Being a Hat and all, the Sorting Hat didn't think that he'd ever find love.

**"Really, what am I going to do? Fall in love with a sexy pair of mittens?"** He mutters to himself.

"Did you say something?" Choji asks the Hat.

Oh Bloody Hell. The Gryffindor must have caught him talking to himself. That simply wouldn't do at all. He was just simply going to have to deny it. Yes. That was the ticket.

**"No. I didn't say anything."** He lies with ease.

Thankfully, the rest of the class went without incident. Though the Hat still did want to talk the Original Trio at some point. Tsunade, Jirayia, and Orochmaru were still on his suspect list.

Actually, almost everyone was on his suspect list. He refused to write anyone off out of principle. Well at least he had legs now. So it was easy to conduct detective work that way.

"Come on, Hinata. I'll walk you to your next lesson." Gaara offers.

Awe. How adorable. The little psycho was all grown up now and trying to seduce the wallflower. Though it looked like Naruto had a head start on him. The blonde was leading off his Uchiha.

His hand was firmly on the other wizard's backside. Well, the Gryffindor was certainly getting bolder. He supposed he should have expected it though, really. They were now Fifth Years.

**"Brats just had to go and grow up on me."** The Hat says.

It was the natural order of things though. A First Year's friendship wasn't going to be the same as a Fifth Year's romantic relationship. Thankfully, it looked like they were still in a relatively innocent stage for now.

Merlin help them all by the time, Seventh Year rolled around though. The Hat could already it coming. The Silencing Charm was likely going to be employed quite liberally.

**"Well I have some work to do."** He decides, after watching everyone else depart.

* * *

With that in mind, the Hat heads off to find the Original Trio. He was going to get to the bottom of this. One way or another, he was going to find out what was going on!

He found them easily enough in the Grand Hall. They were all having lunch. Once he spotted them, he strides over to them.

"Ah good morning. I see that your legs are working quite nicely." Orochimaru says.

Whether or not Orochimaru was actually their "bad guy," the Hat still didn't like him. Though he knew conversing with the man was a necessary evil. He had to get to the bottom of this, if he wanted to protect the brats.

They had grown on him over the years. In particular, he had a soft spot for Gaara, Sasuke, and Kankuro. He'd always be grateful to the Puff for giving him legs. That meant that he was going to make all of this right. Somehow.

**"Yes, they are. Thank you. I wanted to speak to you three. I have to admit that I have concerns. I've been sensing Leprechauns nearby."** He says.

There were rather alarmed looks from all three of them. Either they were all skilled actors or the professors were genuinely shocked. He wasn't sure which was the case yet. He was going to find out though.

"That isn't good. What on Earth would Leprechauns be doing this close to the castle?" Tsunade asks in alarm.

That's exactly what he was wondering. Something very strange was going on and he would bet his life that it had something to do with the attacks. The Sorting Hat just knew it in his bones.

Well he didn't have bones. It was the principle of the thing though. If the Sorting Hat had them, he would definitely be feeling it in his bones.

**"Precisely, what I'm wondering."** He replies.

"This isn't good. I've been hearing whispers that the Veela and Giants have been acting strangely as well. I think we may need to get the Ministry involved in this. It sounds like someone might be building an army." Jiraiya adds.

He was a smart man. Yes. That's exactly what it sounded like. Someone was building an army, but for what? What were they building an army for?

"Do you think that it's wise to get the Ministry involved. They will want proof and we don't really have anything too alarming yet." The busty witch inquires.

Jiraiya might be suggesting the Ministry to get the heat off him or he could be sincerely concerned. The Hat didn't know. Though Tsunade's reaction was also intriguing. The woman seemed hesitant to get the Ministry involved.

Could she be the one behind all the attacks? It would certainly make sense. She was Professor. That would explain the attacker's easy access to the school grounds.

**"Tsunade is right. We'll need more proof before we bring in the Big Wigs."** He agrees.

She was also close to Orochimaru. The woman would likely realize he could be a threat. Perhaps that was why she was spying on him? It was certainly an intriguing theory.

"Very well. For now, we'll lay low. I won't lie though. This is making me very uneasy." Jiraiya admits.

What would be her motive though? The woman didn't seem to be gunning for Minerva's slot. Tsunade didn't appear to have any grudges against the families of the children. What was there to gain by scaring a bunch of school kids and amassing an army?

Could it really be as simple as her wanting to take over the world? That would be terribly cliché. Still it was a possibility and one that he didn't feel like dismissing out of hand.

**"I believe that it's making us all uneasy. I think I should go and speak with the Old Bag. She'll need to know what is going on."** He states.

"Of course. Give Minerva our best." Jiraiya says.

It didn't matter that he didn't have any hands. Truly, it was the principle of the thing. Hmm. Maybe, he should ask Kankuro to make him some hands.

"Of course." Tsunade says good-naturedly and Orochimaru nods his head in agreement.

After all, the Puff had made him some legs. Hands and arms were the next logical conclusion. At that point, he'd be almost human. Now, wouldn't that be something?

After spending centuries peering into the minds of witches and wizards, he could be human. Well something close to human. He'd have arms and legs. He would be able to travel like them. It was close enough really.

**"Thank you all, for briefing me on this situation. I'm certain that we can get this all sorted out."** He says with a wink and the Professors all chuckle at his pun.

Humans tended to enjoy jokes. That was something that he had learned long ago. He certainly wasn't above using whatever knowledge he had of human psychology to get his way.

With that in mind, he heads off. The Sorting Hat couldn't help, but feel that he had made real progress. He now he a lot to think about.

* * *

A short while later, all of his Yearlings had gathered once more in the Room of Requirement. That also included Itachi. Apparently, the elder Uchiha Brother was truly in this for the long hall.

**"I spoke with Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya today."** He begins.

"Really, what'd they say?" Tenten asks.

He was developing a soft spot for all of them, really. This Hufflepuff girl had moxy. She was a bit of a Tomboy and hung in the background, but she certainly wasn't shy. Honestly, he had briefly considered Gryffindor for her. Though he had decided in the end, the woman would get annoyed by the boisterousness of the Gryffindor House.

**"I made them aware of the Leprechaun situation. Whoever is behind this, is stark, raving mad."** He continues.

"The Hat is right about that. Leprechauns are too unpredictable. They don't make good allies because of that." Neji says.

"We can't just keep calling him the Hat or Hat. It sounds awfully plain. He's one of us now. We should give him a name." Temari says.

Hmm. A name that would be interesting. Yes. A name would be good. It would make him seem even more human.

"What a drag. What would you like to be called, Hat? I mean she's right. Hat just seems a bit cold." Shikamaru adds.

That boy was well and truly whipped. He was lucky that he had O.W.L.S to focus on this year and Temari had N.E.W.T.S. Otherwise, he would likely be in hot water.

The girl was a Seventh Year and was dating a Fifth Year. He had seen that combination before. It usually spelled trouble. The two Years were both caught up in their own drama by this point and sparks tended to fly.

**"Hmm. You know, I never really thought about it before."** He confesses.

"That's weird. Really?" Kiba asks in surprise.

Usually by that time, both parties were stressed about their impending exams. O.W.L.S. and N.E.W.T.S. had a way breaking up relationships. Quite honestly, he thought that the school overdid it with them.

They were far too severe. Magic should be about fun and power. It shouldn't be about memorization. Humans were strange creatures sometimes.

**"Yes, I've always just been called Hat or Sorting Hat."** He answers honestly.

They were given a wonderful gift. The gift of magic and somehow turned into something stressful. The Sorting Hat couldn't understand the logic of doing so for the life of him. It didn't matter how many heads he had sat on.

"Perhaps you could name yourself after someone that you admire." Jugo suggests.

That wasn't a bad idea. Hmm. Yes, but who? Naming himself after one of the Founders was out. It would be favoring one House over another too much. So he couldn't do that.

Dumbledore was a mouthful. He didn't care for that. Merlin would be too conceited. Who did he admire?

**"The Weasley Twins always amused me. I was sad to hear of Fred's passing. Fred isn't very dignified though. I think I shall be known as Fredrick. Yes, that's the ticket. Sir Fredrick of Hogwarts."** He says smugly.

"I think the Hat just knighted himself." Kankuro observes in amusement.

**"Believe me, I've more than earned it. I've sat on the heads of some very messed up children over the years. If you had seen the things that I have seen, you would be entitled to a title as well."** He retorts.

Yes. Fredrick. It had a nice ring to it. The Hat couldn't help, but feel tremendously pleased with himself.

"It's a very youthful name!" Lee calls out joyously.

What was that kid on? Honestly, Fredrick couldn't understand how anyone was capable of being that perky and he was always that way. That couldn't possibly be natural, could it?

"Well I'm glad that the Hat has a name. I mean I'm glad that Fredrick has chosen a name, but that doesn't really solve any of our problems." Gaara says.

That was true. They still had a potential killer or killers on the loose. It was also likely that they were raising an army.

The only questions they had to solve were the following. Who was doing it? Why were they doing it and how were they going to stop them? The questions simple, but unfortunately…finding the answers was proving far more difficult than he had originally anticipated.

"The Giants, Leprechauns, and Veelas are acting up. This has gone far beyond Hogwarts." Itachi points out.

"Should we get the Ministry involved?" Naruto suggests.

**"No. That wouldn't do any good. Besides, I told the Professors that I wasn't going to. We don't have any real proof. They'll want proof before they jump into the fray."** Fredrick reasons.

Speaking of the fray and proof, they still needed to find out who was behind that Invisibility Cloak. The Sorting Hat didn't particularly care for not knowing. That was very dangerous.

"It wouldn't be wise to bring them in, after Fredrick said that he wasn't going to." Sasuke says.

The Sorting Hat sees Naruto nod in agreement as he places his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. They really were adorable. There were echoes of Salazar and Godric there. Though those two had never been lovers.

These two likely would be though. Thankfully, he had never seen them do more than kiss or touch each other. Fredrick was many things, but he was not interested in seeing more than that. Thank you, very much.

"That's not to mention that we still have to figure out who was behind Orochimaru being spied on. Are they friend or foe? We don't know." Shino adds.

Shino didn't say much, but he always contributed to the conversation when he did. The boy had a talent for saying what needed to be said and not a word more. It was as gift, really.

"Maybe, we should have another look at the video." Sasuke suggests.

"Good idea." Gaara agrees.

That's when Hinata turns it on. Now was the time to get another look at that hand. That hand could be the clue to unlocking everything.

The video plays and the Sorting Hat watches intensely. Well whoever had done it, had fair skin. The hand was neither large, nor particularly small. That didn't narrow it down though.

**"At a minimum, I think we can safely eliminate anyone under Fifth Year. The hand is too large for it to be anything else, but this clearly isn't a very big person. So we can rule Jugo out, if nothing else."** The Sorting Hat says pleasantly.

"Well thanks for the voting of confidence." Jugo mutters in annoyance.

**"Anytime, Old Boy."** Fredrick replies with a wink.

What the Sorting Hat didn't know is that the person who had done it was in that very room. That person was doing their very best not to give away any clues as to what they had done. How could they possibly explain it?

They were being forced to do things against their will. Things that they couldn't remember doing, but the student knew what was happening. The Memory Charm might wipe away their memories, but they still kept waking up in strange places.

"We can also eliminate anyone with a tan." Sasuke adds.

"Well that makes you a suspect, bastard." Naruto says and the younger Uchiha brother twitches in response.

"Oh yes, Naruto. I hexed myself off that bloody broom. You caught me. Very clever." He replies sarcastically.

Fredrick could only chuckle at this. These brats were fun to watch. Unfortunately, the time for fun and games was over.

They had a bad guy or bad guys to catch. They also might have a war to prevent or win. Though he supposed that wouldn't stop him from enjoying the show along the way. It was bound to be a spectacular one.


	15. The Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the students ponder the future, they enlist a certain war hero to help them save the day .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. This chapter will be based on Sasuke's POV. Oh and I still make no profit off of any of my fanfics. Happy reading.

Several months later and Sasuke felt like he had been hit by the Knight Bus. So this was what Fifth Year was like. This was the horror that was known as your O.W.L. Year.

He could see what Itachi was going on about now. Everyone was showing signs of cracking and that was BEFORE you factored the potential Wizarding War into the equation. To put it simply, this was not good.

"Sasuke, you really have to relax. You always do great at exams. I'm sure you'll get a bloody Outstanding in every subject. You don't need to stress out over it." Naruto says.

He hoped so. O.W.L.S. were important. Almost as important as N.E.W.T.S. Sasuke wished that his boyfriend would take them more seriously, but he was probably being neurotic enough for the both of them.

The Uchiha wasn't really sure, but the sapphire eyed wizard always managed at least an Acceptable in every class. There were even a few classes he had O's in like Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms. There were some E Classes as well. How Naruto managed this was anyone's guess because Sasuke had rarely seen him crack open a textbook outside of class.

"You're right. Maybe, I'm worrying too much. You still need to take these more seriously though, Naruto." The raven haired wizard replies.

"You're hot when you get all bossy and concerned." Naruto tells him with a grin.

"I'm hot all the time, but that is besides the point. I'm worried about my own results and yours. These aren't like regular lessons. These are supposed to be really intense. You can go ask Itachi, if you don't believe me. Well him, Jugo, Temari, Neji, Lee, Tenten, and Haku. They've all taken their O.W.L.S." The Uchiha warns him.

He'd love to be able to just flirt with his blonde and relax. Unfortunately, he had a Potions O.W.L.S. to study for. An exam that Orochimaru had _personally_ offered to help Sasuke prepared for, but Sasuke hadn't taken it.

They still didn't know what Orochimaru was up to. He could still be involved in whatever this thing was and even if he wasn't, the Slytherin still didn't trust the other man as far as he could throw him. It really was as simple as that.

"I know how tough they are. Your big, bad brain isn't going to do you any good, if you're too exhausted to finish them though. Come on, Sasuke. Relax." The blonde continues.

Naruto clearly wasn't getting the message. Damn it. Why was the Gryffindor so bloody stubborn?

Actually, Sasuke had just answered his question. Naruto was stubborn because he was a Gryffindor. Lions were apparently, very stubborn creatures. He had yet to meet a single Gryffindor who wasn't stubborn in some way.

"Well I guess five minutes, couldn't hurt." Sasuke says with a sigh as he closes his book.

"Exactly!" Naruto says with glee as he sits behind his boyfriend.

Oh boy. Merlin only knows what the blonde was planning now. Sasuke knew Naruto. He knew him almost better than he knew himself and the other wizard was definitely planning something. He just wasn't sure what.

"Mhm." He replies a bit warily.

"You're way too high strong. It's not like someone is going to blow you off your broomstick, if you get an Exceeds Expectations instead of an Outstanding in something." Naruto teases him as he places his hands on Sasuke's neck from behind him.

Sasuke gives Naruto a dark look for that comment. He still didn't find the whole having his broom explode thing funny. Apparently, the blonde disagreed though. Now that the danger of exploding brooms was far removed from them, Naruto seemed to find the entire incident somehow hilarious.

"It's still not funny. I want all O's of course. I could live with E's, but Itachi got all Outstandings." Sasuke says with a sigh.

He knew that it probably wasn't healthy to compare himself so much to his brother, but he couldn't help it. Against Itachi, Sasuke always felt like he came up short. Who could possibly compete with that?

"Itachi is Itachi. You can't really compare yourself to a human computer. Besides, I know something that you're much better at than Itachi is." Naruto slyly says as he begins a neck and shoulder rub.

Oh. Massages. Those were new. Wait. That felt wickedly good. Mmm. What were they talking about again? Oh right. Itachi.

"And what's that?" Sasuke asks as he signs in contentment.

"Snogging. You're definitely better at snogging and really that's more important than whatever mark you get on some stupid exam." Naruto says bright.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. He was pretty sure that the blonde didn't mean that the way that it sounded, but it was better to be sure. It was highly unlikely that the Gryffindor knew anything about Itachi's kisses, but still.

"And how would you know ANYTHING about Itachi's kissing techniques?" He grumbles.

"Whoa! Whoa! Easy there, bastard. It's not like I have firsthand knowledge. I mean Kisame might have mentioned it a few times. You know that you're the only guy that I've kissed. I definitely wouldn't go around snogging your brother! Besides, he's way too old for me. That and sometimes, he kinda scares me." The other wizard says quickly.

Sasuke nods in approval and decides Naruot was sufficiently frightened. He had overreacted. He could only blame these bloody O.W.L.S. This wasn't like him. He hated it.

"You can keep doing that though. That feels good." Sasuke tells Naruto.

Good was an understatement. He felt like he was turning into a freaking contented housecat. Sasuke imagined that he would start purring soon at this rate.

Though he supposed that was fitting in a way. His Patronous was a tiger, after all. Tigers were just really, really big cats.

"Good." Naruto says smugly.

Sasuke decides that he was doomed. As soon as his boyfriend found out how good those shoulder and neck rubs felt, Naruto would be able to talk him into anything. Oh well. He might as well enjoy the moment.

* * *

About two hours later, the Fifth Years were all in the Dining Hall. Minerva and Fredrick were going to give them the **_Career Talk_**. Now that they were Fifth Years, adulthood seemed disturbingly close and it seemed that the Headmistress wanted to help them at least begin to think about what they wanted to do after graduation.

"I think I wanna be a Healer. I've been talking to Itachi about it and it seems really fascinating." Sakura says.

"Mhm." Sasuke says noncommittally.

He was more worried about what he wanted to be than what Sakura was going to be. Of course, he couldn't say that. He'd sound like an arse. Speaking of arses, Naruto was holding onto him again.

The blonde really seemed to like doing that. Not that Sasuke minded. He just hoped that no one else had noticed his new favorite habit.

"I still wanna play Quidditch Professionally." His boyfriend says.

Naruto had to be joking. That was a fine answer when you were eleven, but Naruto was sixteen bloody years old now! He couldn't possibly be serious.

The Gryffindor was an amazing flyer. Sasuke knew that he COULD be a Professional, but there were a lot of other amazing flyers. Plus that wasn't really a career choice. Realistically, how many years could you fly for a Quidditch Team?

"You're joking, right?" Sasuke asks.

"What? No. I'm completely serious. Awe come on. Don't tell me that you aren't going to support me." The blue eyed wizard pouts.

Damn that pout. That was fighting dirty and Naruto had to know that. How was he supposed to resist that face? It was impossible.

Fine. Naruto could try out for a Team. Sasuke supposed that the blonde would land on his feet, after he was done playing. He always did. Maybe, he would end up buying one of the other Quidditch Teams at some point and be a coach/owner.

"I'm always going to support you. I love you, you idiot. I'm just saying that it's not a very practical choice. You're an amazing Quidditch Player and I know that you can do it, but what happens afterwards? You can't play Quidditch forever." Sasuke retorts.

"Well you can just be my hot sugar daddy, when I'm finished. Besides, I'll make lots of money off it." Naruto retorts.

Sasuke rolls his eyes. He knew that his boyfriend wasn't serious. He couldn't imagine that the Gryfindor would be content to be some Trophy Husband.

"You're such an idiot." He mutters as the Hat begins speaking.

**"Welcome one and all."**

**"Today, we're going to have a ball."**

**"It'll be lots of fun, telling you all about you're choices."**

**"Just listen to your inner voices."**

**"And I'm sure that you'll make the right career decision."**

**"So no need to have kittens."**

Sasuke snorts in amusement. Fredrick was in top form today. Having kittens was an expression that meant freaking out. It was rather obvious that his freedom was certainly agreeing with him.

If only they didn't have a cast of villains running about. Then everything would be perfect. Oh and if O.W.L.S. and N.E.W.T.S. were over, that would be good too.

"Yes, that was lovely Hat. Today, we are going to be focusing on your potential career choices, after graduation. A booklet will be given to all of you with some options. This is by no means an extensive list. There are many careers that aren't listed, but it will give you a rather thorough list to browse from. Hopefully, you'll see something that you find appealing." The Headmistress continues.

**"My name isn't Hat."** Fredrick protests.

Oh boy. Here it comes. This should be entertaining. Sasuke couldn't wait to see the look on Minerva's face when the Hat explained that he was now a "Knight" and had a human name.

"What the Devil are you talking about? You're the Sorting Hat. We've always called you Hat." The elderly witch asks in confusion.

**"The brats and I decided that I should have a name. My name is now Sir Fredrick of Hogwarts."** He says smugly.

It was rather obvious that the Headmistress likely thought that he had gone mad and who could blame her? The Hat was acting very out of character. Minerva had known him for decades and he'd never shown an interest in a name before. So it was really quite understandable that she was thrown for a loop.

"Right. Well that was lovely _Sir Fredrick._ " The witch replies in a resigned sigh.

Poor woman. She had lived through a lot of craziness. Sasuke could scarcely begin to imagine what it had been like for her to live through the Battle of Hogwarts, but now she was dealing with a rebellious Hat and that was likely a bridge too far.

**"Thank you. I worked very hard on it."** Fredrick replies smugly.

"I'm sure you did. Well all of you will get a booklet. Please to look it over. If you have any questions, do feel free to ask a professor or another member of the staff. I'm always available as well." Minerva continues.

Sasuke flips through a booklet that was given to him curiously. Herbologist wasn't really for him. Broommaker wasn't really his thing. He liked riding them, but Sasuke couldn't see himself making them. He wasn't really interested in becoming a Healer or an Auror either. Though there were some that he hadn't thought of.

He'd just have to look at this more in depth later. Sasuke was positive that he would find something. If worse came to worst, he'd just work with his family in one of their many businesses.

"See anything, interesting?" Naruto asks his boyfriend.

He loved his father, but the Slytherin wasn't really sure how well they'd do actually working together. That was why he was hesitant to go that route. He'd save that as a backup.

"Still looking. It's going to take some time to sort through all this. There are a lot of options." He says thoughtfully.

"Magizoologist, sounds cool." Kiba says.

"A wizarding naturalist? Yes, that does sound intriguing." Shino says.

That was unexpected. Kiba and Shino were considering the same career. The two men couldn't be more different, but they apparently shared a common interest. Animals.

"I'm going to be a Herbologist." Ino says proudly.

Sasuke had seen that one coming from a mile away. The girl was obsessed with flowers and her family had a lot of Herbologists in it. Really, he would have been surprised, if she wasn't interested in that career path.

"Healer." Sakura and Karin say together in perfect unison.

On and on it went. More and more students were flipping through the book. Some seemed sure about what they wanted to do and others were like Sasuke. Considering their options.

"I'm sure that you'll come up with something great." Naruto says cheerfully.

"Mhm. Come on. It looks like they're letting us out for lunch." Sasuke says with a smile as he bounds off with his boyfriend.

**"Oh this isn't good. Brats, read the paper."** The Sorting Hat says.

Frowning, Sasuke grabs the paper. Fredrick didn't strike him as the sort to lose his cool lightly. That meant that he wasn't going to be reading good news.

_BREAK IN AT GRINGOTTS BANK!_

_Last night, there was a robbery at Gringotts Bank. As of yet, there are no suspects and bank employees are taking inventory of what was taken. This is particularly concerning because this institution's security is said to be second to none._

_This has not been confirmed yet, but some goblins believe that it might have been leprechauns. Though no one is really sure why Leprechauns would want to steal gold. After all, they have their own._

_If anyone has any information about this case, please contact this number. For now, the Ministry of Magic wants everyone to know that they are working on the case and anyone who was a victim will be fully compensated for their losses._

"They're mad. They really are working with Leprechauns." Suigetsu says.

Leprechauns were so insane that even Suigetsu knew to give them a wide berth. This was bad. Really, bad.

"It might be time to speak with Professor Longbottom." Gaara suggests.

"The D.A. hasn't been active in years though." Sasuke says.

"The D.A. might not be active, but the members are still mostly alive. It might be our best shot. They're robbing Gringotts now." The red head counters.

Sasuke sighs and nods. As much as he hated to admit it, the other Slytherin was right. This had gone far beyond what they could handle on their own.

Neville was a war hero. He might be able to help them. That and he happened to teach Herbology at Hogwarts. So he was the easiest war hero to get in contact with.

"We're actually doing this? Shouldn't we call a meeting before we decide to get a professor involved?" Suigetsu asks.

"For once, I have to agree with Suigetsu. This is a rather reckless move. It might be the wisest course of action that we can take, but we should still speak with the others about it." The quiet Slytherin says.

Sasuke sighs and nods as he glances back over to the Gryffindor Tables. Naruto would want to know about this. It was only fair.

"Alright. We'll call a meeting and then talk to Professor Longbottom." He says with a sigh of resignation.

* * *

The next day, Sasuke heads off to speak with Neville Longbottom. Ino was going with him. At their meeting, it was decided that she was the best choice for approaching the Herbology Professor.

_"They're robbing the bank now. This is getting out of hand. So we were talking at lunch and decided it'd probably be best to call in the big guns. Neville fought in the last War. He could help us win this one." Sasuke said at the meeting._

_He could see that everyone was anxious about the robbery. Who wouldn't be? That bank was supposed to be harder to break into than Hogwarts._

_The fact that someone had slipped in and grabbed a bunch of gold was terrifying. That meant they weren't dealing with amateurs. These people could do anything._

_"That's not very youthful." Lee said with a frown._

_"You're right. We need to do something." Choji agreed._

_There was much debating. Some of the students didn't want to get the staff involved. Well other than Itachi and the Sorting Hat. (Did Fredrick count as staff)?_

_"I don't know if that's a good idea. If we get him involved, he's too high profile. The people will know that we're onto them." Sakura said._

_That was a good point. Professor Longbottom was really high profile. He was also their best shot. Sasuke would take his chances._

_"Sakura, you're a Gryffindor. Have a little courage!" Naruto reminded her._

_"This isn't about bravery. This is about being smart." The pink haired woman replied._

_Thankfully, Gaara's sand inserted a wall between Sakura and Naruto. Sasuke shot the red head a grateful look. Well at least that was one problem down. Sakura and Naruto weren't going to be able to slog each other now._

_Though Sasuke was far more concerned about Sakura slugging his blonde than the other way around. The Gryffindor man still had some outdated notion of chivalry going on. It was just too firmly ingrained in his head for him to seriously fight back, if the witch had a go at him._

_"Gaara, I wasn't going to take a swing at her!" Naruto protested._

_"I know you weren't. I was more worried about you." The Slytherin said._

_This was much to the amusement of everyone else. Sasuke was positive that even Hinata giggled at that. He couldn't really argue with the Druid though. He had been thinking the same thing himself._

**_"Well it looks like most of us agreed. We can't all agree about everything. I think that Longbottom might be able to help us. Though I want the Uchiha and Blondie to be the ones to talk to him. Ino is one of his best students. He probably has as soft spot for her and the younger Uchiha is good with words. If we send Itachi, Longbottom will immediately know something is up."_ ** _The Sorting Hat stated._

_The others nodded in agreement. Well that was settled. Now, Sasuke just had to figure out a way to convince Neville to take them seriously._

"Are you ready for this?" Sasuke asks Ino.

"This will be easy. Don't worry about anything. He loves me!" The cheerful blonde witch replies.

Uh huh. Well if nothing else, he knew that the woman didn't lack for confidence. In this case, that was a very good thing. They were going to need every advantage that they could get.

"Right." Sasuke says as he knocks on the door of Neville's Office.

If nothing else, Professor Longbottom was a responsive person. Sasuke barely had issued the third knock before the other man opened the door. That was something of a relief.

Being kept waiting, would have only made him more anxious. The Uchiha was already anxious enough. Thank you, very much.

"Professor Longbottom, do you have a few minutes? Sasuke and I have something very important that we need to speak to you about." Ino says with a sweet smile.

Sasuke didn't think that he'd ever be able to smile like that. It should have looked fake, but it looked real on Ino. Really, it was a gift. The witch should've been an actress with a smile like that.

"Oh, of course. If this is about O.W.L.S. though, I'm certain that you'll both do well." The Professor says as he steps to the side and allows the children to walk inside his office.

With that, Ino and Sasuke quickly stride inside. Sasuke shuts the door behind them and casts a sneaky Silencing Charm. The last thing that any of them needed was to be overheard.

"Oh it's not about O.W.L.S. It's about something else. Did you read the paper? Did you hear about Gringotts?" The young witch asks.

"Yes, I heard about it. I have to admit that I have my concerns about such an event. Gringotts is far from easy to break into as Harry, Ron, and Hermione will be the first to tell you. They seem to think that it was Leprechauns though. That's very puzzling to me. I don't know why they would have to steal gold." Neville says.

"We think that we might have an idea. This is going to sound crazy, but the Headmistress already sorta knows. You can ask Fredrick, if you like to back up our story." Sasuke says.

That's when Sasuke realizes that Neville probably didn't know who Fredrick was. Damn. Oh well. He should probably explain that.

"Who is Fredrick?" The Herbology Professor asks in confusion.

"The Sorting Hat. We decided that it would be best to give him a name. Calling him Hat over and over again was getting annoying. That's not the point though." Sasuke explains quickly.

Neville nods in understanding. Good. Good. Maybe, they'd be able to explain this somehow and Longbottom would be willing to help them.

He was a war hero. That had to mean something, right? If they got lucky, the older wizard would be willing to revive Dumbledore's Army for a good cause.

"Fredrick then. He must have named himself after Fred Weasley. He was one of Ron's older brothers. He died in the war. He was forever getting into mischief. I knew him though. A good man." He says.

"Yeah. He was great and all, but we're trying to prevent more people from joining him in the afterlife." Ino says bluntly.

Oh that was very tactful, Sasuke thinks to himself with a groan. Ino might as well have been Naruto. Both of them were currently acting like bulls in China Shops. Honestly.

"What makes you worried that people are going to die?" Neville asks in concern.

"Ever since I tried out for Quidditch in Second Year, someone has been attacking us. We don't know who. They targeted us again when we were all outside later on. We know that there is at least one spy in this castle and there are all sorts of rumors about Veela, Giants, and now Leprechauns. We think someone is raising an army." Sasuke explains.

Neville blinks and Sasuke couldn't blame him. That was a lot to take in at once. It wasn't really fair to just spring all this one him, but they didn't really have a choice.

"An Army?" He asks in shock.

"Yes, which is why we want you to revive Dumbledore's Army. We know that you used to be the leader. You could do it again." Sasuke say, deciding that it was best to just lay everything out on the table.


	16. An Eagle Owl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang meets the Golden Trio as Sasuke and Naruto grow more suspicious towards one of their professors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. This one will be framed from Naruto's perspective.

A few months had passed since Sasuke and Ino asked Neville to revive Dumbledore's Army. Thankfully, Neville had agreed. Not only had they formed an "army," but they had also survived O.W.L.S.

"Are you still pouting about the A in Divination?" Naruto asks his boyfriend as they sit in the Room of Requirement and wait for the others to arrive.

"No. Don't be thick. Uchihas do not pout." Sasuke grumbles.

Of course, Sasuke had gotten O's in everything except Divination. The blonde wasn't sure why Sasuke had kept taking it up to O.W.L.S. year. He supposed it was out of stubbornness more than anything.

His mother was quite gifted at seeing the future. Sasuke probably thought it was genetic and would be an easy O for him. That hadn't been the case though.

"Right. Well are you still upset about it?" The sapphire eyed wizard asks.

"I'm a little irritated about it, but it's not a big deal." Sasuke replies.

Naturally, it didn't help that Trelawney was mad as a hatter. The woman was completely off her rocker. So really, it was a miracle that anyone scraped an Acceptable in their O.W.L.S.

"Uh huh. Sure, it isn't. You want a neck rub while we wait?" The blonde asks.

The blonde had discovered that Sasuke's neck was wonderfully sensitive. It worked even better at calming him down than snogging did. Like any smart wizard would, he delighted in exploiting this fact.

"Naruto, they're going to be here any minute. Now, really isn't the time for neck rubs." Sasuke warns him.

That was true, but that was half of the fun. Sasuke was always so damn composed, unless they were alone. Lately, they're little rendezvous were getting more heated in the library.

The Restricted Section was definitely his favorite place in Hogwarts now. Sadly, they could only reasonable risk going so far. There was always the chance that someone else might stumble on them.

"I guess you're right. Maybe, later though?" Naruto asks hopefully.

The Slytherin was always much more frisky, after a neck rub. He might be a serpent, but he could pounce like a lion when properly motivated. Well perhaps, Naruto should say tiger. After all, that was his Patronous.

"Mhm. Definitely. Wait. Someone's coming." Sasuke says.

Indeed. Naruto could hear some foot steps. The Sorting Hat was now entering the room along with Neville and some other people were behind him. For the life of him, the blonde couldn't see who else was with them.

"Ah. It looks like Naruto and Sasuke are already here. Harry, Ron, Hermione, come inside. I want you to meet a couple of our "soldiers." Sasuke was one of the people who first asked me to restart the D.A." Neville says.

Wow. They were actually going to meet the heroes (and heroine) of the Battle of Hogwarts. This was so _cool_!

"Hello. It's nice to meet you." Hermione says as she squeezes into the room next to her husband.

Naruto really didn't really understand how those two got married. They were just so different. In some ways, even more so than him and Sasuke. Oh well. Love was love, he supposed.

"Wish it was under better circumstances though." Harry adds.

"This place looks exactly the same. It's a bit freaky, really." Ron observes.

The Gryffindor could only nod in agreement. The D.A. Room of Requirement still gave him the creeps. Though he knew that was for good reason. They needed to be ready to face anything and this room would definitely prepare them for anything.

**"Weasley, Potter, Granger, it's good to see all of you again. I heard you all managed to spawn."** Fredrick greets them.

"Funny. I heard that you finally managed to get a proper name." Harry retorts.

That was something that Naruto never thought he'd see. The man who had won the war, making jokes with the Sorting Hat. Now, the blonde had seen everything.

"He goes by Fredrick these days." Sasuke adds helpfully.

"You named yourself after my brother?" Ron asks as he blinks, not sure how to feel about that.

**"Course, I did. He and George amused me. Sorry, about what happened to him. Though I think Sir Fredrick of Hogwarts sounds much more dignified than Fred."** The Hat replies as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Naruto privately agreed, but that was besides the point. They had a war to fight. They could debate about various names later.

"I think it's sweet that he's honoring him in that way." Hermione says as she places her hand on her husband's shoulder.

"Yeah. The Hat is being sweet in his own utterly demented way. Well I guess I should say Sir Fredrick is being sweet in his own utterly demented way, now." Ron says with a wistful smile.

Poor guy. It had to be awful to lose a brother. There were heavy casualties in that war though. Unfortunately, the Weasleys were far from the only Wizarding Family to have lost someone during the second fight with Voldemort.

"You don't think that he's back. Do you?" Harry asks Neville.

It didn't take a genius to realize who he was. He was Voldemort. Naruto doubted that was the case though. All the Hocruxes were destroyed. How could he possibly come back?

"No. I don't think so. This isn't really his style. Voldemort never worked with other races much." The Herbology Professor reasons.

That was true. Whether or not, Voldemort actually believed his pureblood B.S., didn't matter. His followers certainly did. Voldemort wouldn't have risked involving other magical species for fear of losing some of his Deatheaters.

"I feel that it's only fair to warn you, that this is a very large group." Itachi says as he walks into the Room of Requirement.

"That's good. The more people we have on our side, the better." Ron says.

"My thoughts exactly, Mr. Weasley." The Headmistress says as she strides into the room.

**"You told the Old Bird about this?"** The Sorting Hat demands.

Naruto wanted to laugh. Fredrick was just so incredulous about it. Apparently, the Hat thought the elderly witch would spoil the fun or something. Well at least that was he was guessing.

Naruto didn't know how to do any fancy mind magic. Though he suspected that Itachi probably did. Itachi might have taught Sasuke. He'd have to ask his favorite (and only) snogging partner about that later.

"Well yes. She was going to want to know why Ron, Hermione, and Harry were here. I had to tell her something. Besides, she helped us win the war last time. She'll be a great asset in this fight." Neville states.

That was true. Though Naruto was a little concerned for the Animagus's safety. She was definitely getting on up there and years. It was like expecting someone's grandmother or great grandmother to fight. It just didn't seem right.

"I see that look, Mr. Uzumaki. Don't let my appearance deceive you. I may have far more candles on my birthday cake than you do, but I assure you that I can wave a wand just as well today as I did back when I was your age. Even better in fact. Practice makes perfect." McGonagall informs him.

Naruto feels his face burn bright red. Damn. It must have been really obvious what he was thinking. That was embarrassing.

"Good to know." He mumbles and Sasuke gives him a sympathetic look as more and more D.A. Members file in.

Well at least they had won the House Cup last year. It was about time that Gryffindor got a little respect! So there was that at least.

"Looks like everyone is here." Gaara says as he leads Hinata inside.

Naruto wasn't sure if the red head and shy witch were dating or not, but they were definitely getting closer. That had been a stroke of genius on Sasuke's part to pair them off in the Buddy System. Surely, nature would do the rest.

"What a drag. Temari isn't here. Neither is Haku or Jugo." Shikamaru says with a yawn as he walks in.

His eyes suddenly widen though when the lazy wizard realizes who else was inside the room. After all, it wasn't every day that you saw the Golden Trio. That would get anyone's attention.

"When the War comes, I doubt that it will be confined only to Hogwarts or that people will be turned away because they have already graduated." Neville says.

Shikmaru nods in understanding as the others continuing filing in. Naruto was still getting used to the fact that Karin and Sakura were together. Not to mention, Ino was dating Kiba. More and more people were pairing off.

He and Sasuke had been first in their year. They hadn't been the last though. The blonde knew that it was only to be expected. It was just what most teenagers tended to do, if given enough time. Pair off.

"We're really glad that you're here." Neji says and the Golden Trio nod their heads in acknowledgement.

"Things are getting bad. I presume that you all know about Gringotts." Shino adds.

That was perhaps the most disturbing thing about this entire situation. Gringotts wasn't supposed to be the kind of place that you could just break into. This wasn't normal.

It was one thing for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to manage it. It was quite another for someone else to do it. Someone else who definitely wasn't part of the good guys.

"Yes, we're aware. Hagrid's been off talking to the giants. He's half giant. So sometimes they're more likely to open up to him." Harry says.

"AH HA! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!" Suigetsu says.

Gaara shakes his head and sand gags Suigetsu. He had a feeling this wasn't going to be the last time that such measures were necessary. The violet eyed boy could be quite annoying sometimes.

"That's such a neat trick!" Tenten exclaims.

"It's not a trick. I'm a Druid." The red head says and he receives more than a few confused looks.

"Nevermind. He can explain that another time. Anyway, we need to figure out who we are going up against and form a plan." Itachi says.

Naruto nods in agreement. Thank goodness for Itachi. Itachi always kept a level head. Between him, the Hat, and the Golden Generation, they should be able to manage.

Really, it almost wasn't a fair fight when he thought about it. Whoever was behind this was going to be so sorry that they messed with them! They picked the wrong group to pick a fight with. Believe it!

"Are you doing that internal pep talk thing again?" Sasuke asks.

"What internal pep talk thing?" Naruto asks innocently.

"The one where you sound like a cheerleader in your head and then you suddenly burst into inspirational simple phrases to try to motivate everyone else." The raven haired wizard replies.

Yeah. People were either reading his mind or he was being too obvious with what he was thinking. This was happening way too much for his liking.

"Maybe." He admits with a blush.

"Don't worry. It's mostly cute. Sometimes it can get a bit annoying, but you have a good way of making up for it." Sasuke says as he kisses his cheek.

That was pretty awesome. Sasuke was willing to kiss him in front of the Golden Trio. The other wizard definitely wasn't embarrassed by their relationship!

"What are we going to do though? Itachi is right. We really don't know enough about them to start fighting." Choji says as he munches on a bag of chips.

Choji was right though. They needed more information. As much as the Gryffindor Lion would like to have a go at the bad guys, they still needed to find out who the bad guys were first.

"We need to find these guys and kick their arses!" Kiba exclaims.

Naruto definitely agreed with that in spirit. Still they needed to know who their targets were and that was a little difficult to discern at the moment.

"Professor Rama has a scar on his face. I don't know if it means anything or not, but I thought that I'd mention it. He Glamours it to hide it." Gaara says suddenly.

Naruto frowns. Hmm. It was possible that the Ancient Runes Professor was just embarrassed by the scar, but it could be more than that.

"I think that it's time that I spoke with Professor Rama in that case." Minerva says suddenly.

"No. Wait. Don't. If you do that, he'll get suspicious. We don't know, if he actually did anything or not. Perhaps Neville should do it. They're colleagues and Neville isn't his superior. He might feel less threatened." Harry says.

"That was surprisingly insightful of you, Harry." Hermione says with a smile.

Naruto snorts in amusement. Hermione sounded like Sasuke whenever he said anything "smart." It was kinda funny in a weird way.

"Thanks. Hey! Why surprisingly?" Harry demands.

"Oh no reason. Neville, do you think you speak to him about the scar?" Hermione asks, deciding that it would be wise to change the subject.

"I'll ask him about it. I'll try to be subtle. The last thing we need is for him to get nervous and bolt." The Herbology Professor reasons.

The others nod in agreement. The rest of the meeting goes normally enough. Well as normal as a D.A. Meeting about go.

The Golden Generation was pleasantly surprised to learn that they could already use Patronouses and their Shield Charms were much stronger than expected, but there was still a lot of work to do. Naruto was looking forward to learning some really cool magic from the grownups!

* * *

A few hours later, Naruto drags Sasuke off with him to go spy on the adults. There was no way that he was going to miss the potential confrontation between Professor Rama and Neville Longbottom. This was going to be epic!

"Are you kidding me? You're going to get us caught." Sasuke hisses at his boyfriend.

"Shush. Be quiet. If you aren't quiet, they'll catch us and that won't end well." The blonde warns his boyfriend.

Really, Sasuke needed to learn to be more sneaky. For a Slytherin, he was way too worried about getting caught. Though Naruto suspected that they balanced each other out in that way.

He was reckless and Sasuke was cautious. Together, they made for the perfect balance. They made for the perfect balance in other ways too, of course. He just wasn't going to go into those ways while they were waiting to see what would happen between Neville and Tobi.

"Tobi, do you have a few moments?" Neville asks, a few minutes later as he taps on the door to the Ancient Runes Professor's classroom.

"Of course. I always have time to speak with a fellow professor. What was it that you needed? Perhaps help with preparing lesson plans for O.W.L.S. or N.E.W.T.S.? Those are always a bit challenging." He offers good-naturedly.

Something was up. Tobi was far too smooth for Naruto's liking. He was saying all the right things, but something felt off. It was like he was reading a script or something.

"Oh it's not about that. It's just that I'm concerned. Are you alright? I can see that you were injured. Your Glamour is quite good though. I didn't notice it for the longest time." Neville says.

"Oh that. I just got into an accident at the Hogwarts Post. Damn owl tore into me pretty good. Unfortunately, I didn't get to Tsunade in time to prevent the scar. I'm a little self-conscious about it. So I figured why not just Glamour it?" He asks.

That all sounded rather logical, but for some reason Naruto thought there was more to the story. There had to be. Something just wasn't adding up in his gut.

Unlike Sasuke, Naruto tended to rely on his gut instincts. He didn't like overanalyzing things. That was the sort of thing that lead you to questioning everything and making mistakes. Nah. Instincts existed for a reason and should be followed.

"Ah. It must have been a rather large bird. Those talon marks look pretty deep. You're lucky that a scar is all that you got from that encounter." The Herbology Professor offers.

"That's true. Well you know how birds of prey can be when they're startled." Tobi continues on as if this was a perfectly normal conversation.

On the surface, it was a perfectly normal conversation. This was just one of those times where you really had to read between the lines though. Naruto just knew it.

"Of course. Well one should try their best not to get in the way of those owl's talons. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of bird was it?" The other man inquires.

"Eagle Owl. A really big one. Beautiful bird, but a vicious one. I would have liked it a lot more, if the bloody bird hadn't sliced up my face though." The handsome professor says with a hearty chuckle.

An eagle owl? Sasuke had an eagle owl though. Garuda was beautiful too. Could Tobi be talking about Sasuke's owl? Had his boyfriend's owl taken a good chunk out of the professor's face?

"Oh yes, Eagle Owls can do some damage. How long ago was it?" He asks.

"A few years back. Nothing to worry about. I'm a survivor. It's going to take more than a bloody owl to end the likes of me." He says cheerfully.

"Of course. Well I was just concerned when I saw through the Glamour. I wouldn't worry about it though. I doubt many can see through such an elaborate charm. Well I expect that I should let you get back to your lessons and you're right about the O.W.L.S. and N.E.W.T.S. I really should start working on my own lessons for them." Neville says.

That was clever. Professor Longbottom really knew how to steer a conversation. Now, Tobi had no reason to be suspicious of them. Well at least none that the blonde could see, anyway.

"Come on, loser. We really need to get out of here, before they catch us." Sasuke says as he begins dragging his boyfriend off.

The nice thing about dating another Quidditch Player was how strong Sasuke is. Naruto liked the fact that they could really tear into each other, if they wanted. His boyfriend was really a tiger, just like his Animagus.

Wait. What was he thinking about again? Oh yeah. Tobi and Sasuke's owl. He really should try to focus more, but it was just so easy to get distracted when your boyfriend was dragging you off caveman style.

"Alright. Alright!" Naruto says as Sasuke drags him into an empty classroom.

"Good. It's a damn miracle that we didn't get caught." Sasuke mutters.

"Yeah, but it was worth it. We found out something important. Professor Rama was attacked by an owl. An Eagle Owl." Naruto says smugly.

The blonde watches as Sasuke raises an eyebrow at him. Alright. Maybe, he should have expected that. Clearly, the sexy Slytheirn didn't see where he was going with this.

That was okay though. Naruto didn't mind explaining it to Sasuke. Actually, it felt good to know something that the Uchiha didn't for once.

"Yeah. So?" Sasuke asks.

"Garuda is an Eagle Owl." Naruto supplies helpfully.

The sapphire eyed wizard could practically see the light bulb being turned on in Sasuke's head. The other student understood now. He understood where Naruto was going with this.

"You think that Garuda attacked Tobi?" Sasuke asks skeptically.

"Yeah. It makes sense. Garuda is an Eagle Owl, after all." Naruto replies smugly.

He was a genius. Yep. That's right. So what if he didn't get as many Outstandings as his boyfriend, he was smart too!

"Naruto, do you have any idea how many Eagle Owls are in this school? Just because he was attacked by an Eagle Owl, doesn't mean that it was Garuda." The raven haired wizard reasons.

Damn. That was true. Still the blonde knew in his gut, that he was right. Garuda had been the one to attack Professor Rama!

"He said it was YEARS ago though. Remember that night with the stones?" The Gryffindor continues, completely undaunted by the logical reasoning of his beloved.

Sasuke pauses. Obviously, he was remembering that night. That was the first night where they had an inkling that it was about more than just Sasuke. Their enemy was willing to have a go at anyone.

"Yes, I remember. It's kinda hard to forget something like that." He admits.

"Garuda was crying out during the middle of it. I heard him. I didn't think anything of it. I just figured the rocks scared him, but what if he was going after the attacker?" Naruto says.

Sasuke frowns. The other wizards was thinking it over. Now, Naruto knew that Sasuke would see what he was saying.

"So you think that it was Professor Rama? Why would he attack a bunch of students though. We know why Orochimaru might do such a thing, but what would be his motive?" Sasuke whispers.

That was a good point. Naruto didn't have any idea why the Ancient Runes Professor would go around attacking students. It didn't make a sense. Surely, there had to be a reason though. Right?

"I don't know. It's just a theory now. An old scar from years ago, doesn't prove much. I got a feeling though, that he's connected to all of this. I'm not really sure how yet, but I know that he must have thrown those rocks." The blonde continues on determinedly.

"It's possible, but we can't accuse a professor lightly. That's why we were spying on Orochimaru, remember? We have to be smart enough this. He might balk, if he knows that we're suspicious." The Slytherin warns him.

That was a good point. That was one of the reasons why Neville had treated everything so casually. They didn't want to let on that they knew what was happening.

"Yeah. I know. Looks like it's time to dust off that camera and dragon hide again." Naruto says with a grin.

"Naruto, this isn't a video game. People could get seriously hurt. You shouldn't look so excited about this." The other student chides him gently.

"Yeah. I know, but now we might be able to catch us some bad guys. That or at least one! This will be fun!" Naruto says brightly and Sasuke just groans in response.

Oh well. That was why he was a Gryffindor and Sasuke was a Slytherin. Slytherins just didn't share in the Gryffindor Sense of Adventure. That was okay though. He would make sure nothing happened to his sexy tiger. Believe it!


	17. This isn't Right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madara finally gets his wish, but did he make the right decision?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. It will be narrated from Madara's perspective and give more background about what the Devil he's doing with Kaguya in the first place. Oh and there are no line breaks in this chapter. Happy reading.
> 
> Chapter Notation: I figure that if Harry can come back from the dead and Voldemort can get a new body, those both of those things should be possible simultaneously. This is also vaguely similar to the Reanimation Jutsu. So her return may not line up with either canon perfectly, but I view it as at least remotely plausible. As always, I own nothing and make no profit off of any of this.

Six weeks later, Madara heads back to the agreed upon meeting location. He thought that it was rather appropriate in a morbid way. The Forbidden Forest or as he liked to call it, The Forest of Death. A lot of people were certainly going to die in the impending war.

"Ah. There you are, Madara. You've done well." Kaguya coos at him.

His focus was only on one person though. The Uchiha's focus was only one bringing back one person. He knew that was selfish, but the wizard just couldn't bring himself to care at the moment.

"Thank you." He whispers softly.

Kaguya was a beautiful being, in a frightening way. The mere sight of her might have caused other men to tremble with desire or fear. Most likely both. Not him though. He was now essentially numb to almost everything, really.

He had been that way for years. Madara had been that way since the Battle of Hogwarts. The day when the Wizarding World was saved, but he had lost everything.

_"They're coming." Naori whispered to him._

_Madara nodded. His lover was right, of course. Actually, the exotic beauty was his fiancée. Sadly, they hadn't been able to get married yet. The War took priority._

_He intertwines his hand with her smaller and softer one. It was comforting in a way to see the large diamond ring on her finger that was attached to a beautiful golden band. A promise of their future together._

_"I know. We knew that this day would come. We'll make it." He tried to assure her._

_After the war, they would get married. Naori had insisted on coming back to help fight against Voldemort. She was only a few years out of school. The witch had been training to be a healer and Madara had just started a career in wandmaking._

_Naori had always found that career choice rather amusing. He was already feared far and wide for his ability as a Duelist and now, he was going to make wands. She found particular merriment in teasing him about the size of various wands that he would make as well as the texture._

_"I know. You aren't getting out of marrying me that easily. Plus you still have that lovely apple wood wand to finish. I quite like it. It might be your best wand yet." She told him._

_"I wouldn't miss marrying you for the world. It's just that the world is being rather inconsiderate at the moment and wants us to postpone our wedding until we deal with this cretin and yes, that does look like it will be a rather fine wand." Madara tells her._

_He was actually planning on giving it to her for a wedding present when this was all said and done. Of course, he didn't want to tell her that and ruin the surprise. All they had to do was defeat Voldemort and his Death Eaters. That shouldn't be too hard, he thinks to himself rather sarcastically._

_Eventually, the Death Eaters charge in. There were what seemed like thousands of them and there were also giant spiders running about. It was complete chaos._

_"Stay with me, Naori! Arania Exumai_!" _He shouts as the Acromantulas charged towards them._

_It was a spell designed to repel them and it was effective. It was just there were so many of the bloody spiders. They just kept coming._

_He glances at his future wife and sees that she was hurling the same spell at them. They could do this. Together._

_"I'm not going anywhere." She promised as she slammed spell, after spell at the giant creatures._

_Madness. It was madness. Screams could be heard everywhere. Madara couldn't distinguish between Death Eater Screams and Good Guy (or Girl) screams. The scent of bloody and fire hung heavily in the air._

_People must have been casting fire spells at the spiders or their opponents. There was now fire all over the place. Loud explosions could be heard all over the place as powerful spell, after powerful spell was cast._

_"There's too many of them!" Naori shouted._

_"It's alright. We just have to keep them back." He tried to assure her._

_"We have to make a run for it. Up the stairs!" The purple haired witch yelled at him._

_Madara nodded. On second thought, she might be right. The spiders were still targeting them. Almost suspiciously so._

_It was likely that Voldemort wanted to keep them distracted with the beasts while he went after Harry Potter. Any Death Eater he sent at Madara and Naori Uchiha (well almost Uchiha in Naori's case) was a dead one and the man knew it._

_"Alright. On three." He whispered to the love of his life._

_The spiders were more disposable to the Dark Lord. That was just another reason to loathe the man, if you could still call Voldemort that. Animal abuse._

_It wasn't the Acromantulas' fault that they were being bewitched and forced to fight in a war that truthfully, they wanted no part in. The same couldn't be said for the Deatheaters._

_"One, two, THREE!" Naori called out as they raced towards the stairs._

_Unfortunately, the witch would never make it. A child, most likely a First Year, had gotten cornered by one of the beasts. Naori stopped for one second to repel the spider from the poor girl and that's when it happened._

_"Avada Kedavra!" Someone shouted._

_Just like that, a jet of green light left the wand. It struck Naori and she crumpled over to the ground. Lifeless. The light left her eyes almost instantly._

_"I'M GOING TO TEAR YOU APART, YOU COWARD!" Madara snarled at the Death Eater._

_He didn't even know the man's name. Madara just knew that this man had murdered the love of his life when her back was turned. He had to pay._

_Years later, Madara would recall this incident and remember that on that day, he was far more of a savage beast than any Acromantula could ever be. He completely forgot about his wand for several minutes and beat the other man to death._

_Long after the man stopped moving, Madara's punches kept flying. By the time someone was stupid enough to get within his hearing distance, his hands were stained blood red and the Death Eater was utterly unidentifiable._

_"Madara, I'm sorry. We need to fight the others though. If you stay here like that, you will die. Do you want to join her or do you want to avenge her?" Tonks asked him softly._

_"I'm going to kill every last one of them." Madara promised and with that, he collected himself enough that he was able to rejoin the fray._

Eventually, Harry Potter had won the day. Voldemort was defeated and the Wizarding World was saved. Everyone had paid a high price that day, but Madara knew that he would never be the same.

"You've gathered many witches and wizards to our cause. You even convinced some of the Veela to join us. You've more than played your part. I believe that it is time for me to live up to my end of the deal." The strange witch said and Madara's eyes widened in shock.

She was going to do it! Kaguya was really going to do it! She was going to bring Naori back to him!

"Will she be the same? Not her body, but her heart? Will she know me?" He asked.

"She will have her memories. That much I can assure you. Though being brought back from the dead, isn't an easy experience for anyone. She's been gone for so many years, Madara. She's likely going to be horribly confused at best and outright terrified at worst. If this is what you want though, I will grant it." Kaguya tells him.

He thought that in her own way, Kaguya was warning him. She was warning him that this wasn't a good idea. Did the witch actually care about him on some level?

It didn't matter though. All that mattered was he had a chance to get her back. A chance that he was going to take and to Hell with the consequences.

"I want it done then." He states simply.

There was no going back now. He was going to get the love of his life back. One way or another, Madara was bringing his Naori back.

"Very well. Hidan, would you please come out here?" Kaguya asks sweetly.

Madara blinks. He recognized Hidan as one of the students that he had taught. He had been an Akatsuki Member. The boy had an unhealthy interest in Olde Magic, but he wasn't evil.

He never would have actually brought someone back from the dead. Not of his own accord, anyway. That could only mean one thing. Kaguya was controlling him with magic.

"What did you do to him?" He thunders at her.

"Relax. He's perfectly fine. Much like that witch that you cast the Imperio Curse on, Hidan is merely under my spell. He's going to help us bring your witch back. That's what you always wanted. Isn't it?" The lavender eyed woman asks sweetly.

"Yes, of course. You WILL release him though. After he has revived Naori." The Uchiha growls at her.

This was wrong. Forcing someone to revive the dead against their will was wrong. It was one thing for him to ask HER to do it, it was another thing to have a boy barely a few years out of Hogwarts to perform Necromancy!

"Mmm. It'd a shame though. He's very talented in the Olde Ways. Hidan is well versed in Blood Magic. I can't say that about many people anymore." She says with a sigh.

"This is not negotiable. It's one thing for me to agree to such things. It's another for a child to do so." He states firmly.

Kaguya sighs and nods her head in consent. It seemed that she wanted Hidan in her army and preferably under Imperio, but not enough to risk losing his support. Good.

It was good to know that he still had sway over the demented witch. Honestly, he couldn't believe some of the thing she was willing to do. The woman was coming very close to matching Voldemort in psychotic tendencies!

"Very well. Shall we begin?" She asks sweetly and Madara nods.

It took the better part of the night. Ancient words that even Madara scarcely recognized were said. Blood was involved and lots of it. That didn't surprise him though and thankfully, blood replenishers were abundant. So it didn't look like anyone was going to bleed to death.

"Naori, we summon you across space and time. Cross now the great divide. You no longer have to hide." The young wizard says.

Well those were the words he said in another language. A language that was all, but forgotten. There was something beautiful and terrifying about the words. In a strange way, they suited the situation perfectly.

It was a dark night. The only light in the sky was that of the Full Moon. Whether that was important to the spell or Kaguya had just chosen the night of the Full Moon to be dramatic, he didn't know.

"This will work. It has to." He whispers to himself as he watches the urn that held her ashes carefully.

He was talking to himself, but Madara needed to hear someone's voice. Well someone's voice besides Hidan. It was reassuring in a way.

Suddenly the ashes began to fly out of the urn and swirl around madly. Madara wasn't certain if that was a good sign or a bad one. He glances at Kaguya with uncertainly.

"It's alright, Madara. Naori does need a body to return to, after all. Just watch. I think you'll like the results." The elderly witch assures him.

Madara wasn't so sure about that, but it was too late to turn back now. Stopping the spell at this point, might do permanent damage to Naori's soul. He couldn't possibly risk that.

"Very well. I can only hope that you and Hidan know what you are doing." He mutters as he watches warily.

"Believe me, we do." Kaguya says.

Madara didn't consider that very comforting. He had aligned himself with Kaguya purely because of her power. He didn't trust the witch in the slightest, but he supposed that there was no benefit in pointing that out at the moment.

Not when he was so close. Naori was almost back. That was the most important thing. Everything else was just an afterthought.

"I think it's working." Hidan breathed out in awe.

Indeed. The ashes were now swirling around madly and beginning to take shape. A shape that was now vaguely human in size.

"Almost there." He whispers as if Madara thought that merely speaking too loudly would end in disaster.

Several more moments pass as the ashes begin to take a more concrete form. At the end of it, Naori had reemerged. Well at least her body.

Her body begins to fall to the ground, but Madara darts over quickly. It was her! It was really her! Everything was exactly the same from her hair to her to the size of her feet.

"Naori?" He whispers softly, not entirely certain if she was conscious or not.

"Madara? Are you dead? Have you finally passed on and reunited with me in the afterlife?" She replies in confusion as she looks up at him.

The Uchiha lets out a sigh of relief as he holds her tightly to him and wraps his cloak around her. His beloved was shivering, but she was alive!

"No. I'm not dead and you aren't dead anymore. You're back, My Love." He informs her with a smile.

"Remember your promise, Madara. We will not make our move for awhile yet. You should enjoy your reunion with her. I still have much planning to do. Hidan, come!" Kaguya says as she grabs the wizard and uses a Portkey to take them out of the forest.

Madara merely nods as he continues holding the witch against him tightly. He couldn't believe this was actually happening. Naori was alive again and in his arms!

"Madara, what do you mean that I'm not dead anymore?" Naori asks.

"You were brought back to life. It's going to be alright now. You're safe." He tells her.

Naori blinks. He expected her to be in shock though. That was alright. Anyone would be, after being dead for years and then suddenly being brought back to life.

"Madara, I missed you. More than words can ever say, but this isn't right. You can't bring people back from the dead." She whispers to him.

"I missed you as well, but yes. Yes, I can. I just did. Well more accurately, Kaguya and Hidan did so, but still." He states.

He hadn't foreseen the possibility that she might not want to be brought back. Though he was sure in time, Naori would get used to being alive again. They could have the life together that was denied to them last time.

"Madara, you know what I meant." She says with a sigh as she caresses his cheek.

"I know. It was unbearable though. Living without you. I had to bring you back." He says, suddenly feeling a bit guilty.

His actions had been selfish and he knew that. Still Madara couldn't bring himself to regret his choice. Naori was alive now. That was all that mattered.

"I know that you must have suffered without me. I can't imagine living my life without you either, but there is a natural order of things. Since you brought me back though, I'm a bit afraid to be sent back there so suddenly. Now, I have to live out this life. Otherwise things might…crisscross." She stammers out fearfully.

He didn't want her to be afraid. She was perfectly safe with him. He wasn't going to allow anything to happen to her. Not again. Never again.

"Yes, you're back now. Things will be different this time. You'll have to use a different name though. I'm teaching at Hogwarts now. I teach Ancient Runes. We can live in the castle, together." He says.

"Madara, that's very sweet. I'm happy for you, but you do understand that this was wrong. Right? Tell me that you at least understand that much." She demands.

"I know that it was wrong, but I missed you too much to care. I also got you a new wand. I was going to give this to you as a wedding present, but I never got the chance." He continues on as he places the apple wood wand in her hand.

Naori sighs and glances at it. Madara could tell she was still less than thrilled about being revived in general, but at least she seemed to like the wand. That was his best one yet.

"It's beautiful, Madara. Thank you." She says as she sighs and snuggles into him.

"Then it suits you. You also needn't worry about a wardrobe. I got you plenty of clothes. Though you can always return them, if you don't like them." Madara says as he caresses her cheek.

"Well clothes would be good. I suppose running around stark naked is still highly frowned upon?" She asks.

Madara nods. That was better. At least she wasn't panicking anymore. Eventually, she would come to see that he had done the right thing for them. It might have been wrong to wake the dead morally, but he didn't care about that. He just cared about her.

"Yes, it is. Though you may run around stark naked in private as much as you like when it comes to me." He tells her with a grin.

"Mmm, you haven't changed a bit. You're still such a lecher." Naori observes with a quiet laugh.

"Only for you, My Love. Only for you." He assures her.

That was true, even the Veela held little appeal for him now. He doubted that another woman would ever compare to the one that was currently in his arms. Against all odds, she was alive again.

"Well you're a faithful lecher. The two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive." She says as she rests her head against his chest.

"That's correct. You always did adore Hogwarts. So I thought that you would enjoy living in the castle." He says.

"That does sound nice. I feel weak. Could you carry me, My Heart?" She whispers.

Madara nods and scoops her up into his arms. She was still light as a feather. That hadn't changed.

"Always. We'll be back in the castle soon. I have a fireplace in my room. We'll get you warmed up. Are you hungry? I can have the House Elves bring us up some food as well." Madara offers.

"I'm not sure that I could keep anything down more substantial than pumpkin juice at the moment, but I am thirsty." She murmurs.

"Alright. I'll have the finest pumpkin juice brought to you in all of Hogwarts. You'll see." He says as he carries her back into the castle.

She was so cold. He really needed to get her warmed up. Though she was coherent and understood what was going on. That was a good sign.

As he was carrying her, he was so overjoyed that he didn't notice that someone had seen him. That someone was a brunette named Tenten.

"Who is that?" She whispers to herself as she quietly tries to follow him.

Madara quickly gets Naori back to his chambers though and locks the door behind them. He sets his precious cargo down gently on the couch that was only a few feet away from the fireplace and wraps his cloak around her tightly, before casting a Silencing Charm around the room.

"Is that better, My Dear?" He asks.

"A little. Come and sit with me. I don't want to be alone." She whispers as she reaches out to him.

He sits next to her and wraps his arms around her protectively. Her skin felt like ice. That would go away with time though. He was sure of it.

"You're never going to be alone again. I don't know what happened to you on the other side and I understand that you probably can't tell me, but you're safe here. I promise." He says.

"Mhm." She murmurs as she tries to burrow closer into her lover's warmth.

A few moments later, a house elf appears with some pumpkin juice. He sets it on the coffee table for them and then pops out of there. That was a smart elf. Clearly, he realized that they wanted to be alone.

"For you, My Lady." He says as he hands her the requested drink.

"Thank you." She whispers and with that, she begins to drink.

Death apparently was a major cause of dehydration or perhaps it was the other way around. Either way, Madara was glad that the goblet magically refilled itself. His beloved was quite thirsty.

"It's all going to be okay." He tells her soothing as he runs his fingers through her long, luxurious hair.

"I hope so. We'll talk about this more tomorrow. You know what you did was wrong, but it's too late to turn back the clock now." She tells him with sad eyes.

"Naori, I did it for you." Madara tells her.

"I know you did and I love you. I love that your love lasted decades after my death, but it was still wrong. What do you go by now? I doubt you kept your real name." Naori inquires.

She had always been a clever witch. Madara knew that. That was just one of the many reasons hwy he had fallen in with her in the first place.

"Tobi Rama. The children called me Professor Rama and the staff call me Tobi." He states.

"You named yourself after your brother's lover?" She asks in amusement.

"I thought it was rather poetic myself. Most of these people don't remember the old days. They don't get the reference." The Uchiha states.

Poor Izuna and Tobirama. The two of them had been Aurors and trying to resolve a dispute between the Giants and the Centaurs. Unfortunately, it hadn't gone well. Neither survived the encounter.

That had crushed him. Losing his brother was almost as bad as losing Naori. He had thought about reviving Izuna, but he couldn't do it. He couldn't bring himself to separate him from Tobirama. That and reviving three people had been a bridge too far, even for him.

"He still loves you. Izuna still loves you. I don't want to tell you much about the afterlife, but I want you to know that. He and Tobirama are happy." She whispers to him as she kisses him.

"I'm glad to hear that. Thank you." Madara replies between kisses.

He'd deal with Kaguya's war another day. She had even said that it was going to take awhile to plan. For now, he was just going to enjoy the kisses of the woman that he loved more than anything.


	18. Seventh Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Seventh Year dawns, a certain heiress resolves to make things better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. This chapter will be narrated from Hinata's perspective.
> 
> Chapter Notation: Naruto's behavior in one of the flashbacks will be a bit out of left field because Kurama/Kyuubi is going to get a slight part in this story as well. Oh and there are no line breaks in this chapter either. Happy reading.

_Seventh Year._ They were all Seventh Years now. Months had passed since Dumbledore's Army had been revived.

Hinata should have been happy about Seventh Year for the normal reasons. Happy because it was her final year at Hogwarts and they were all "grownups" now. Soon they would be able to use magic, whenever they like because the Restriction Against Underaged Wizardry and Witchcraft would be lifted.

"Hinata, are you alright?" Gaara asks softly.

She also should've been nervous about Seventh Year. Hinata should be worrying about N.E.W.T.S. and leaving Hogwarts behind. Leaving the life that she had known for seven years behind and going different ways than most of her friends. Unfortunately, she had a lot more than just the typical concerns of a Seventh Year student on her mind.

"Yes, I'm fine." The Hyuga Heiress mumbles out rather quickly.

She couldn't though. Not with the D.A. still preparing for war. Not with everything going on. Not when she was carrying a terrible secret around and had been for years.

"You always were a bad liar. It's one of your most endearing traits, really. What's wrong?" The red head asks in concern.

She hated lying to Gaara. She had grown closer to him over the past couple years. Most of the other students were still terrified of him, but she wasn't. He was just a very intense person. Gaara didn't or wouldn't socialize in the normal way.

Hinata suspected that wasn't necessarily by choice. Druid Magic worked different than _normal_ magic. It might actually be influencing his thought processes.

"Just worried about N.E.W.T.S. and what happens after graduation, I guess." She mumbles.

That was a normal fear, right? Gaara would believe that. He had to. If he didn't, the Hyuga Heiress wasn't sure what she was going to do.

Would Professor Rama cause her to black out again and do something to Gaara? What if she killed him and didn't even realize she was doing it?! The thought made her want to vomit because it was an all too real possibility.

"Alright. If you say so. You shouldn't be worried about N.E.W.T.S. though. You're a bright witch. You'll do fine." Gaara tells her and Hinata smiles.

That was Gaara's version of a pep talk. The other student didn't really do encouragement well. He was trying though and that's what mattered most.

"Thank you. I guess it's normal though. Everyone is nervous about those exams. They're supposed to be even worse than O.W.L.S." She says quickly, glad that he believed her.

"I'm not worried about N.E.W.T.S. Everyone works themselves up into a frenzy about them. Every single year, Hogwarts Students drive themselves nutters about them and then every single year, they survive them. There's really no point in worrying yourself to death or a few involved exams." He says with a shrug.

Hinata finds herself laughing, despite the situation. Gaara was good at that. He had a rather dry way of looking at the world. One that was completely at odds with how she had been raised and it amused her.

"I guess that's true. Do you really think that we can do it?" She whispers.

"I don't think that we can. I know that we can. We have the Golden Trio and more of the Golden Generation joining us. That and we have Itachi. That man is an army by himself. Not to mention Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto has more energy than he knows what to do with and Sasuke is quite clever. We also have everyone else. We have a good army on our side." He tells her as he places his hand on the small of her back and leads the witch off.

The Hyuga Heiress smiles and nods. Unfortunately, Neji, Lee, Tenten. Temari, Jugo, Haku, and many others had already graduated. Their core group was getting smaller and smaller, but they were making up for it though.

More members of the original D.A. were coming in. Of course, they were all being subtle about it. A lot of Polyjuice was being used. No one wanted to warn their enemies that they were planning to strike back.

"Yeah. I guess that you're right." Hinata whispers.

"Of course, I'm right. The world would be in much better shape, if everyone understood that." He says in utterly deadpanned voice.

"And you're so modest." The young with says with a giggle and Gaara smiles.

He didn't smile that much. It was a rather subtle smile. Hinata thought that was because he wasn't used to using it often. Still it was a nice smile. She would have liked to see it more often.

"Yes, I believe that is one of my best traits." The Slytherin agrees as he opens the door to the Room of Requirement for his "Buddy."

"Mhm. Obviously." Hinata agrees and with that, she steps inside.

Ginny, Luna, George, and even Draco had joined the fray. Apparently, he had been on the wrong side of the last war and wanted to make up for it. Thankfully, it didn't look like any of them had brought their children with them.

That would have been awful. The last thing that Hinata wanted was for innocent children to be drug into the mix. She honestly had no idea what they were going to do about all the younger students.

"There you guys are!" Naruto says brightly.

The blonde had jumped off his position of Sasuke's lap to greet them. The Slytherin rolls his eyes at this gesture and shrugs. Sasuke was used to such easily excitable behavior from his boyfriend, it seemed.

Hinata would have called them inseparable, but they were in different Houses. It was obvious though that they were very much a matching set. The bluenette had never seen two people who were so different from each other, so deeply in love before.

"We're here. What's the latest?" Gaara asks.

"The Giants are on the move. I think they are just snatching people to scare everyone though. If they wanted to kill them, we would have already found the bodies." Draco Malfoy says.

"The Giants are the decoys. It's probably the Veelas and Leprechauns that we should watch out for." Harry agrees.

That was something that Hinata doubted very many people had ever seen coming. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were agreeing on something. Will wonders never cease?!

"The Veelas are fairly easy to understand. I can ask Fleur to lend us a hand when it comes to them. It's the Leprechauns that I'm worried about." Hermione observes.

"The Nargles are also very worried. They've been panicking. I don't think that it's just supernatural creatures we have to worry about." Luna whispers.

Luna was rather airy. Hinata didn't think that was because she was an airhead though. There was an almost otherworldly quality about the blonde. It was like she was there, but she wasn't quite _there._

"I still don't have any idea what a bloody Nargle is!" George says.

**"Believe me, I've been asking that question for years. I don't know either. Good to see you Weasely Number One Million."** The Sorting Hat says.

The fact that the Sorting Hat was part of their team had surprised some of them. Though Hinata remembers with amusement, how they had all reacted to the Hat's new name. To say the least, that had been most entertaining.

_"Alright. Glad you all could make it. I guess we should start with the Introductions. These our the students who have been working hard to revive the D.A. in our absence. Oh and the Sorting Hat goes by Sir Fredrick now." Harry said._

_"You named yourself after my brother? I thought that Ron was joking about that." George exclaimed in disbelief._

_The Sorting Hat shrugged as much as he could shrug. Hinata wasn't really sure how the Hat conveyed that gesture, but he did. Fredrick was good at getting his point across._

**_"It was great fun watching you two get into all sorts of mischief over the years. I needed a name. So I thought it best to honor his memory. Though I believe Fredrick sounds much more dignified than Fred. So I am Sir Fredrick of Hogwarts."_ ** _He said smugly._

_"The bloody Hat, knighted himself. Now, I've seen everything." Draco muttered._

**_"If you had seen what I had over the years, you would have knighted yourself as well Mr. Malfoy. Do you have any idea how increasingly demented the minds of eleven year olds have become over the centuries?"_ ** _The Hat retorted._

_Hinata considered that and decided the Hat had a point. She wasn't really sure what went on in the minds of other eleven year olds, but Hinata was sure that she had given the Hat a lot to see back during her own Sorting. Merlin only knows, what else Fredrick had seen over the years._

_"It's best just to go with it, Mr. Malfoy." Minerva said as she did a headcount._

_"Oh. Cat Lady is here? Wicked!" George said merrily._

_"Pullus!" The Headmistress said simply and just like that the remaining Weasley Twin was transformed into a goose._

_Hinata stared in awe. She knew that it was possible to become an Animgus in theory, but seeing the older witch transform someone else into an animal was nothing short of incredible. That was some very advanced magic._

_"Hey! Will you turn my brother back! After, I get a picture? I want to have it for blackmail material." Ron said happily._

_"Of course, Mr. Weasley. Now, for the other Mr. Weasley. I hope that you have learned your lesson. My name is Minerva McGonagall and I'm Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You would do well to address me by my proper name. Not Cat Lady. Lest I turn your private parts into my own personal scratching post." She warned him._

**_"The Old Bag's still got it!"_ ** _Fredrick said as he chortled._

_Uh oh. That was the wrong thing to say. The Sorting Hat really should have known better, Hinata thought to herself._

_"I just got through explaining to Mr. Weasley, well the older Mr. Weasley, that my name is Minerva. Not Cat Lady and certainly not, Old Bag. Would you like me to turn you into a pink hat with sparkles? I think that you would look quite fetching as a pink Sorting Hat!" She warned him and everyone roared with laughter._

_For a moment, Hinata thought that everything would be okay. That somehow this would work out. That was until she looked down at her hand and was reminded of what had happened._

_"Alright! Well the Headmistress is feeling feisty! Let's learn how to kick some arse!" Kiba called out joyfully._

_"Mr. Inuzuka!" The Headmistress scolded him._

_"What a drag. We're heading off to war and we still can't even curse." Shikamaru said with a yawn._

_Hinata laughed. At this rate, she was sure that McGonagall was going to deduct House Points. Though she supposed the House Cup was the last thing on everyone's minds. (Ravenclaw had won it last year, but that no longer seemd to matter much)._

"It's good to see you too, Hat. I mean…Sir Fredrick." George says with a cheeky wink.

**"Ah good. Now he's getting it. So what's the plan? Can we see about getting me a pair of hands and arms? I should very much like to learn how to wield a wand."** The Hat says brightly.

Hinata wasn't really sure how that would work. Could the Sorting Hat wield a wand, even if he had hands? Would the magic of wands be compatible with him?

"Is that even possible?" Neville wonders out loud.

"It should be. If a House Elf can wield a wand, I would think that Fredrick would be able to do it." Sasuke says.

"My foolish little brother, may have a point. Perhaps all that is required is a human-like mind. After all, Veelas can wield wands." Itachi adds.

Speaking of Veelas. Who was Akemi Rama? She was certainly a beautiful woman, but Hinata knew that she wasn't a Veela.

"The Veelas are going to be a problem, but I'm worried about Professor Rama's new wife. She came out of nowhere in the middle of all this." Hinata reminds them.

"Yes, I saw Professor Rama carry her inside the castle months ago. I've never heard of her before. Which is odd. You would think that if a member of the Hogwarts Faculty was engaged, it would be something that everyone would know." Tenten reasons.

That had been Tenten's moment. The tomboyish girl had always blended into the background. That wasn't because she was shy like Hinata though. It was merely because she was surrounded by a series of even more boisterous personalities.

Thankfully, she and many of their other friends were now coming in and out of Hogwarts with relative ease. It was all thanks to the Polyjuice Potion. So it was a reunion of sorts.

"That's true. Doesn't make sense that sort of thing wouldn't get out." Kisame says as he strokes Itachi's cheek affectionately.

Still that hadn't mattered, when Tenten told them what she had discovered only months before. It was still a topic that was weighing heavily on everyone's mind.

"Yeah. That is pretty weird." Choji adds.

Tobi had a new wife and a scar from an Eagle Owl. He was likely up to something. They just weren't sure what yet.

_"Guys, I saw something really weird last night." Tenten said._

_"What did you see? Neji smiling?" Suigetsu asked cheekily._

_They were mostly Sixth Years at the moment, but Neji was a Seventh Year and so was the pretty brunette. Neji and Tenten just happened to be dating._

_"Oh be quiet! You bloody idiot!" Tenten growled at him, but it was Neji who acted first._

_The Ravenclaw cast a Silencing Charm on the Slytherin. That shut Suigetsu up for the rest of the meeting. Hinata sighed and shook her head. Well that was one way to make sure that everyone could focus on the important things._

_"Tenten, continue. What did you see?" Shino asked her._

_"I saw Professor Rama carrying in a woman. He was carrying her Bridal Style. I've never seen her before." The Hufflepuff answered._

_Hinata saw Sasuke frown and wondered what the Uchiha was thinking. He seemed to be in deep thought and debating about whether or not to say something. A moment later, Sasuke decided to speak._

_"Tobi uses some sort of Glamour to hide a scar on his face. He told Neville that an Eagle Owl attacked him. Garuda, my Eagle Owl, was with us on that night that were attacked by the stones years ago. I think that Garuda might have been the one to attack him." The young wizard ventured warily._

_The Hyuga Heiress knew why he was being cautious. Sasuke clearly knew what he was accusing a teacher of. It wouldn't be smart to make such an accusation lightly._

_"Yeah! It had to be Garuda! He's our guy!" Naruto agreed._

_"Naruto! You have to be careful about that sort of thing. Garuda is hardly the only Eagle Owl in the castle. Tobi could have been attacked by another one." Sakura warned him._

_That was true, though Hinata knew that it wasn't the real reason. Her memories were slowly returning to her. She knew that Tobi was behind all this, but she couldn't tell them that. She was under a spell that would stop her from doing so._

_"Yeah! That's true!" Karin said, probably trying to support her girlfriend and to calm her own nerves._

_After all, nobody really wanted to believe that a Professor would do this. That a Professor would be attacking students. That was just not something that anyone, really wanted to believe._

_"I'm afraid that we have to consider every possibility and that's just one of many." Neville whispered._

"Well we can look into getting the Hat some arms and hands." Kankuro offers.

"That would be a good idea. When the fighting starts, we'll need every pair of hands that we can get." Jugo adds.

Hinata smiles. Fredrick was quickly becoming part of the family and she knew that he was happy about that. Why wouldn't he be? The poor thing had been locked up for centuries. It was probably a relief to be let out.

"I hate to say this, but it might be time to call in the big guns. Our families." Hidan suggests.

"Yeah! We have a lot of powerful families that are tied to this school. If they help us, we can defeat the bad guys! Yeah!" Deidara exclaims.

Hinata quietly laughs. Deidara was Deidara. He was still the same bubbly and borderline psychotic blonde that she had met all those years ago. It was good to know that some things never changed.

"That's not a very good idea. They'll want more proof than we currently have." Ginny says.

"Potter, they'll believe anything your husband says. Well the other Potter, Granger.. I mean Weasley, and Weasley. Oh and the Third Weasley. Oh for Merlins' sake, there are too many Weasleys!" Draco grumbles.

**"They do breed faster than Cornish Pixies. I have to give them that much."** The Hat says and Malfoy nods in agreement.

Hinata laughs again and shakes her head. It seemed that old school rivalries never truly died. It didn't matter how much time had passed.

"Malfoy has a point. They'd believe us, but what could we really say? The Ministry already knows something is up and I'm sure that all the Wizarding Families do as well." Harry observes.

Hinata nods and bites her lower lip. That was true. Her family had already begun to talk about it and she didn't know what to do.

She feels Gaara squeeze her hand reassuringly and gives him a nervous smile back. He wouldn't be doing that, if he knew the truth. She was under Professor Rama's Spell.

Fortunately, he had only told her to spy on the Sannin. Not her friends. That was her only saving grace. She wondered why that was the case, but decides it was probably best not to question it.

"Well odds are they are going to find out soon." Konan reasons.

There was after all, a good reason why that woman was put in Ravenclaw. She was a true credit to her house. Smart as a whip.

"I don't like it, but I'm inclined to agree. We have to do something, before they do." Pain agrees.

Was it possible that Professor Rama's goals were different than that awful woman's? The one with the white hair and eyes cold as ice? Her memories were hazy, but they were still coming back to her faster and faster. She couldn't stop them.

"For now, everyone should stick to the Buddy System." Neville says.

It was rather obvious that the Herbology Professor was at a loss. This was a very different kind of war than the one the Golden Generation had fought. This one was more subtle in some ways and more obvious in others.

"Got it." Naruto says as he places his hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

Merlin help anyone dumb enough to have a go at Sasuke. Naruto would likely tear them apart. The blonde was more happy-go-lucky than his partner, but Hinata wasn't stupid. There was another side to Naruto.

Lurking just beneath the surface. She wasn't really sure why she thought that. She just did. Something darker. More animalistic. She had only glimpsed it here and there. Small things.

_Hinata had been granted permission to visit some of her friends at the Namikaze Mansion. Though Minato had taken his wife's name and so had Naruto, it was still referred to as the Namikaze Mansion because of the long history of that family._

_"This place is amazing." Ino said._

_"Yeah. It's wicked cool!" Kiba agreed with his girlfriend._

_That's when Hinata noticed that Sasori was off talking to Sasuke. She could barely make out what they were saying, but Naruto obviously could. The blonde strode over while giving Sasori a death glare._

_"It's a good thing that you hooked up with Naruto so quickly. You were going to be a little heartbreaker just like Itachi was." He said._

_Uh oh. Hinata wasn't really sure, if that counted as flirting. She doubted it. The age gap was fairly significant, but apparently Naruto thought that it was flirting._

_"Thanks. I think. I only need my lovable blonde idiot though. I never even really looked at anyone else be-" Sasuke never got to finish that sentence though because Naruto had just walked over and wrapped his arm rather possessively around Sasuke's waist._

_His eyes were different. Was Hinata imagining it or were they red? It kinda looked like his teeth were sharper too. What was going on._

_"That's right and I never looked at anyone else besides my favorite bastard." Naruto said as he kissed Sasuke's cheek._

_Sasuke smiled and leaned into him. Apparently, he didn't realize how close to disaster, they had all come. Naruto was surprisingly easy to make jealous._

"Mhm. Well lets get out of here. The last thing we want is for Professor Rama to realize that people are disappearing all at the same time." Sasuke says.

"Good idea. Everyone, start slowly filing out of here." Itachi says.

"You are so hot when you get all bossy. You know that, right?" Kisame asks gleefully.

Itachi raises an eyebrow and shakes his head in exasperation. Hinata got the impression that he was used to such things. It was likely the other man said them on a daily basis.

"Right. Come on, Kisame." Itachi says as he drags his boyfriend off and Sasuke snorts in amusement.

Uchihas tended to pair off early, as far as Hinata could tell. She glances at Gaara and sighs. She couldn't tell him how she felt. Not until she figured out how to break out of this damn curse, anyway.

She would find a way to do it. Hinata was going to find a way out of this curse and then she was going to help her friends with this war. After that, she was going to kick that bloody witch's arse for everything that she had put her through!

"Hinata, are you ready to go?" Gaara asks gently.

"I'm ready." The Hyuga woman replies as she takes the Druid's hand and the two of them head off towards the Hufflepuff Dorms.

The red head didn't have any way of knowing this, but Hinata had never meant anything more in her entire life. She was ready.

The Hyuga Princess was ready to make that strange witch pay for endangering all her friends and turning her into a slave. She wasn't sure how they were going to beat her yet, but they would. Somehow.


	19. Attention Please

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the refugees begin arriving, the Sorting Hat is having a horrible day as more about Kyuubi is revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It will be framed from the Sorting Hat's perspective.
> 
> Chapter Notation: Poor Fredrick bites off more than he can chew.

A few weeks had passed and the rest of the Wizarding World was beginning to find out what the D.A. had already known for years. Something wasn't right. The Sorting Hat frowns as he watches the posters being put up.

**Dear Students,**

**Do to the increasing Giant Attacks and Veela kidnappings, no one will be permitted to leave the grounds. Some people are seeking sanctuary in Hogwarts until this is all sorted out. Please do your best to make them comfortable. Most of these people are family members of students already enrolled. Treat them as such.**

**Sincerely Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts.**

That wasn't a good sign. If the Old Hag was worried enough to be taking in strays, things were worse than she really wanted to let on. This was now a war. It didn't matter whether or not, they wanted to call it that. Facts were facts.

"Naruto, your whiskers are more jagged than usual. Are you alright? Do you need to see Tsunade or Itachi?" Sasuke asks in concern, a few feet away.

That was true. The brat's whisker markings were getting larger and darker. That wasn't a good sign either.

Fredrick doubted that Naruto really knew what was going on. The boy had been bonded with a Fox Spirit named Kurama when he was a baby. Years after the Second War with Voldemort, nature had decided to intervene in a way.

_"This must never happen again. We have to something to prevent it." Minato said desperately as he stood in the Room of Requirement with the highest ranking Ministry, Order, and D.A. members._

_"There might be a way to prepare for something like this. There is a fox spirit who has been contained for generations. Salazar Slytherin had a Baslisk, but Godric Gryffindor had something else." Hermione ventured cautiously._

_That didn't sound good. If the spirit had been contained for generations, that meant there was likely a damn good reason why it had been locked up in the first place. To say the least, the Sorting Hat felt rather wary about this entire affair._

**_"And how would this fox spirit be able to help us?"_ ** _He demanded._

_"It has great magical power. It can bond to a human host. In exchange for some measure of freedom, the host can drawn upon its magic in times of great danger." The witch answered._

_That sounded too easy. What the Devil did some measure of freedom entail? And most importantly, who would become the host?_

_"Wahhh!" A baby cried in his mother's arms._

_Minato and Kushina had brought their son to the meeting. The boy wasn't even a year old and he was witnessing history. History that could potentially make or break the Wizarding World in the future._

_If there was one thing that the Hat had learned over the years about humans, it was that human nature didn't change. The faces and names changed, but never human nature. Some people were good, some were evil, and most fell somewhere in the middle. At least once a generation or every three generations or so, an evil witch or wizard would rise to power. It was like clockwork really._

_"It's alright, Naruto. It's going to be alright. We're just making sure that the bad guys can't get us later." Kushina whispered as she kissed the top of the baby's head._

_The baby cooed in response and despite the situation, the Sorting Hat found himself smiling. This child was so easily comforted. So brave._

_"Who will be the host though?" Ron asked._

_"I'll do it." Harry volunteered and his wife pulled down his hand._

_She shook her head and the Hat knew exactly what she meant. Potter had sacrificed enough already. He actually died to protect this world and come back from the dead. That was more than enough._

_"Harry, you've done enough." Ginny told him._

_"She's right. Besides, it would likely be better to have a child do it." Fugaku said._

_That made the Sorting Hat raise his eyebrow. He supposed that was probably true. The Fox Spirit wouldn't be as threatened by a child. There was also the potential for bonding as the child got older._

_"I don't like the sound of that, but there may be wisdom in what you're saying. A child may never realize that another being is within its mind. Not if the Fox Spirit keeps a degree of separation between them. An adult would likely realize something was amiss." The Headmistress theorized._

_The Sorting Hat frowned. That was possibly true. It sounded plausible, but still he didn't like where this was going._

_"We should speak to the Fox Spirit directly. Minato, the Nine Tails likes you. You should ask him who he wants to be his host from amongst our group. With any luck, no one outside this room will ever know." The Minister of Magic said._

_"Very well." The blonde wizard agreed and with that, they headed off to the Forbidden Forest._

_Thanks to a series of powerful spells, the Fox Spirit was hidden deep inside a cave. No student would ever be able to see the cave and on the off chance they did, well there were many spells in place to keep them out of it._

_If by some miracle, they did bypass all the protections in place, the Nine Tails was sealed. Assuming that someone actually wanted to free it, that person would have to have advanced knowledge of magical seals. Knowledge that was extremely rare these days._

_"Kyuubi, we would like for you to choose a host. In exchange for allowing you to roam out of this cave and giving you a body, you will help your host in times of great danger. You are not to communicate with the host until those times arise. Do you agree to those terms? Do you pledge to make an Unbreakable Vow?" Minato asked._

_The Sorting Hat was rather impressed by the Gryffindor's courage. Minato was speaking to an ancient magical being as if he was conversing with another wizard. It was quite astounding, really._

_On second thought, perhaps it wasn't. Minato was a Gryffindor. Being bold and reckless was just part of who they were._

_"I accept those terms and will make the Vow. Anything is better than wasting away in this cave." The massive Fox Spirit snarled out menacingly._

_"In that case, it's time to choose. Which of us, do you choose to be your next host?" The Minister forced himself to ask._

_There was silence for a few tense moments. No one really wanted to get picked. Well except for perhaps, Potter. Potter was always putting himself into dangerous situation._

_The Sorting Hat had hoped that becoming a father would change that. Apparently, it hadn't. He was just as reckless and as much of a hero today as he was when he was placed upon Harry's head._

_"I shall choose the child. He is pure of heart and I sense great potential in him. Great potential for powerful magic. Those are my terms." He stated._

_Kushina and Minato looked at each other in horror. After a moment though, the young father kissed his son's forehead and sighed. It was obvious that he was going to agree._

_"Deal. You must make the Unbreakable Vow though. Do not show yourself to him, unless it is a time of great danger. Do not contact him, unless it's absolutely necessary. Allow him to live a normal life." The sapphire eyed wizard said._

_"You have my word." The Nine Tails said and shortly afterwards, the Vow was made and Naruto became the supernatural being's host._

"I'm okay. This is all just really intense. Why don't we get away from it for a bit? Room of Requirement?" Naruto asks.

"Yeah. It is intense. Alright. Let's go there." Sasuke agrees with a smile as he heads off with the blonde, hand in hand.

Fredrick sighs. This might not end well. He knew that it was wrong to eavesdrop, but he didn't have much of a choice. After all, it was for their own safety.

* * *

With that in mind, he follows the teenagers. Thankfully, he now had a pair of arms and a wand to go with them. A simple charm would do the trick and keep him from being discovered.

_"How do my arms look?" Fredrick asked Itachi._

_Itachi was an adult. He could come and go as he pleased. He and Kisame had decided to take him to Diagon Alley. That was where he would get his wand._

_"They look good. Kankuro did good work. Rather sturdy and he made them immune to fire spells. That's always a smart move." The Ravenclaw stated and the Hat nodded in agreement._

_The last thing that he needed was for some Incendio to destroy his arms. Now that he was reasonably confident that his arms were in good shape, it was time to get a wand. Oh how he had waited for this moment!_

_"I must say, I never thought that I would be making a wand for the Sorting Hat." Ollivander said._

**_"Then that works out quite nicely. I never thought that I would get a wand! Let's see what you have for me! Make it a good one."_ ** _Fredrick said cheerfully._

_It took several tries, a broken window, fallen bookshelf, a bouquet of flowers, and a puff of smoke, before he found his wand. When the dust finally settled, Fredrick knew that the he had found the one. His wand._

_"Ah yes. Let's see here. 10 inches. Black Walnut with a Dragon Heartstring and rigid." Ollivander said as he sighed in relief._

**_"What does that mean?"_ ** _The Sorting Hat asked eagerly._

_"You've got very good instincts, probably excel in charmwork, and are most likely a stubborn arse."" Ollivander explained._

_Well Fredrick couldn't necessarily disagree with all that. Now, he had a wand. A very handsome wand at that. He couldn't be happier._

"Seriously, are you alright?" Sasuke asks, a few minutes later.

The two lovebirds were now in the Room of Requirements and sitting on a couch together. On a table in front of them was some pumpkin juice. The Sorting Hat notes that Sasuke was drinking some of it.

He seemed nervous. The Uchiha wasn't an idiot. It was obvious that he knew something was going on. Still it was highly unlikely that he knew what.

"I don't know. I just feel different. On edge. That and some other things. Like I don't want to let you out of my sight." Naruto says.

"Naruto, that's normal. This is a war. I'd be worried, if you didn't feel strange. Is there something more to it though?" Sasuke presses him gently.

Well one hundred points to Slytherin for not being oblivious. There was definitely something more to it. Whether or not, Naruto knew that was another matter though.

"I feel different. Faster. Stronger. I feel like I could run for days and not get tired. That and I really want to be close to you. I always do, but this different. More…wild. I don't really know how to explain it." The blonde mutters.

**Warning Snogging Scene**

"I think that's just adrenaline and hormones. We haven't really been able to be alone much. Quidditch, classes, and the D.A. take up most of our time. How about I make it up to you?" Sasuke says with a sly smile.

At this point, Fredrick considers making a tactful exit. He might not be human, but he knew enough about them to realize what was likely going to happen next. He might be a Hat, but he wasn't a voyeur.

"I like the sound of that. Are the doors locked?" Naruto asks, after they exchange a few heated kisses.

"Well yeah. I'm not a bloody idiot." Sasuke mutters as he pushes the blonde down on the couch and starts covering Naruto's neck with soft kisses.

Great! They blocked the bloody door! Damn it. Maybe, if he shut his eyes and cast a spell to temporarily prevent him from hearing anyway, it would be okay.

"Merlin, that feels good. Just what the healer ordered." Naruto sighs in pleasure as he runs his fingers through Sasuke's dark tresses.

Really, he was happy for them. Fredrick was quite pleased to see that the whole Puppy Love Thing was working out for the two young wizards. That didn't mean that he had any inclination to watch two teenagers Snog or Merlin forbid, go further than that!

"Thought you might like it. Just relax." Sauske whispers as he continues peppering Naruto's neck with more kisses and slides his hands underneath Naruto's robes.

At this point, Fredrick looks away. He really didn't need to see the Uchiha petting his Gryffindor. Though thankfully, Sasuke seemed to only be caressing the other man's chest and kissing Naruto's neck at the moment.

"Yeah. I'm definitely feeling more relaxed now." Naruto says with a satisfied growl as he squeezes Sasuke's backside and pulls him closer to respond in kind.

**End Snogging Scene**

That's when the Sorting Hat heard a rather loud owe. He blinks and looks back. The Uchiha was bleeding. He was bleeding from his neck.

"Owe! Naruto, you bit me! Merlin, I don't mind a little nipping, but you drew blood!" Sasuke snaps at him.

"Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean to bite that hard. It was just you were kissing me and being all hot and stuff. I just got carried away." Naruto stammers out.

Oh boy. This wasn't good. He was going to have to intervene. Damn it. Why him? Why did it have to be him who had to explain these things? Their parents were going to owe him big time.

**"Brat, don't blame him. It's not his fault. Naruto is host to the Nine Tailed Fox. Fox Spirits and other animal spirits have a different way of showing love and affection than humans."** He says as he reveals himself.

"What the Hell?! You were spying on us?!" Sasuke demands.

**"Brat, it wasn't like that!"** Fredrick protests, but it was too late.

Naruto had already gotten up off the couch and lunged at him. The Hat soon found himself picked up off the floor and he was being held up by the tip of his head. Well if you could call it a head.

"Then you better start explaining what it was like. You can't just spy on people like that and expect there not to be consequences!" Naruto snarls at him.

Fredrick gulps and sees the Uchiha shiver. That wasn't good. When a Slytherin was terrified enough to shiver, something was seriously wrong. Very wrong.

**"I heard him talking to you. I know why you feel different. I had hoped that it would never come to this, but I think that it's time for you to know the truth. The truth about the Nine Tails."** The Hat says quickly.

"The Nine Tails? What are you talking about?" Naruto growls at him.

"Naruto, wait. I've heard of it before. There are nine Animal Spirits. They're referred to as the Tailed Beast. They're creatures made out of pure magic, but they're wild. Uncontrollable unless they're sealed or they have a host." Sasuke whispers.

A million points to Slytherin for saving his sorry arse! Well actually, he didn't have an arse. Still he digressed. The Hat had to explain what was going on and he knew that he had to do it quickly. There was no other choice.

**"Exactly. Yes, exactly. That's right. You have one of the Tailed Beasts inside you. Naruto, you're the host for the Nine Tailed Fox. He's often referred to as Kyuubi."** Fredrick explains.

"What are you talking about? I think I would know, if I had a freaking fox inside me!" Naruto protests.

This likely wasn't going over well, Fredrick thinks to himself. How could he possibly explain this to a kid. He wasn't even a Hogwarts Graduate yet and now, Naruto would have to face the fact that he was host to one of the strongest magical beings ever to walk the planet.

**"You wouldn't know. Your father made Kyuubi promise never to reveal himself to you, unless it was a time of great danger. The fox must have realized what was happening. Kyuubi knows that a war is brewing."** The Hat continues.

Naruto blinks and then looks confused. Confusion soon shifts to anger and terror though. The Sorting Hat was rather grateful when the Uchiha places his hand on the blonde's shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

He wasn't really sure what would have happened, if the Slytherin hadn't been there. Fredrick supposed there was a chance that Naruto could have lunged at him in a blind rage. It wouldn't be very Naruto like, but the kid was coping with some life altering news. Anything was possible.

"Naruto, wait. It's not Fredrick's fault that you have the Nine Tails inside you. Well at least I don't think that it is." Sasuke whispers.

"Yeah. I guess you're right." The Gryffindor says with a sigh.

**"That's better. Just calm down. We'll get through this. Together. We always have. Now, I suppose I should tell you more about that biting thing."** The Hat continues warily.

He knew that he was on thin ice as it was. Despite that, Fredrick knew that he had to press on. Sasuke and Naruto had to be prepared for anything and that included the fact that Kyuubi had likely already decide that he Uchiha was Naruto's Mate.

If that was the case, there was no going back. Well not unless they wanted to do die or go insane. Animal Spirits almost never changed their minds, once they had decided on a Mate. They are much less fickle than humans that way.

"Yeah. Start talking!" Naruto orders him.

**"Animal Spirits get "married" by Marking their intended. This is usually done in the form of a bite to the neck. They bite down hard enough to leave a mark and for magic to flow through the puncture. Once that happens, it binds them together. You'll be able to feel where your Mate is, if you aren't separated by too large a distance. Feel their feelings. You'll also be able to exchange magic and enhance each other's spells."** Fredrick explains.

Naruto looks at Sasuke warily. It was rather obvious what he was thinking. The poor boy was wondering, if the other wizard would ever find such an arrangement acceptable.

"Is it constant. Can it be shut off? That's all very romantic in theory, but if we could feel everything…that wouldn't be good. There has to be some level of privacy." Sasuke says.

**"There are ways to shut your Mate out. Though the bond is weaker over long distances and stronger emotions are less easily hidden."** He says.

Sasuke sighs and kisses Naruto's cheek. It seemed that the Uchiha could live with that. Which was a damn good thing. The last thing that any of them needed was for Naruto to completely lose it because he had been rejected.

"I don't mind, Naruto. It's just a little warning would have been nice before you tried to bite me. I know that you didn't know. So it's okay." The raven haired wizard tries to reassure his boyfriend.

"Really? You aren't mad?" Naruot asks cautiously.

"I can't be mad at you for this. You didn't even know that you had the Nine Tails. Though I probably should have Itachi look at my neck. I really don't fancy explaining this to Tsunade. She'd ask too many questions." Sasuke says with a sigh.

That was a good point. Tsunade would naturally be curious. It wasn't every day that someone showed up with a bloody neck. She'd probably be worried about vampires invading the school or something.

Normally, that idea would have made the Hat laugh. Not this time though. They were already dealing with Leprechauns, Veelas, and Giants. There was no telling what else might be lurking around.

**"Good thinking, Brat. Let's go get you patched up."** The Hat agrees and with that, the Trio heads off.

* * *

A short while later, Itachi had patched Sasuke up. Naruto had drawn blood, but he hadn't bitten as deeply as the Sorting Hat had originally feared. They still weren't Mated yet.

"My foolish little brother, you have a lot of explaining to do. What on Earth happened? Did you get into a spat with a vampire?" Itachi demands.

"No. I didn't get into any fights with a vampire. Do you really think that the Headmistress would allow them into the school?" Sasuke hisses at his brother in annoyance.

Some things would never change. It seemed that elder brothers would always pick on their younger brothers. Truly, it was part of the natural order of things.

Speaking of the natural order of things. Fredrick wasn't at all sure what to do about this Mating Situation. Should he encourage it or tell them to hold off on it? There some potential advantages that could be gained from it on the battlefield, but it could end in disaster.

"That's a good point. Alright then. I expect that you'll tell me everything, anyway. You know that it is absolutely pointless to try to keep anything a secret from me. I will find out." Itachi warns him.

"I know. I know." Sasuke says with a sigh as he holds Naruto's hand.

That's when the Hat heard the sounds of foot steps. A lot of them. He blinks and looks outside the window. There were hundreds of people descending upon the castle ground.

He recognized most of them. He had Sorted these people years ago. Many of them were the parents and even grandparents of the school's current students!

"ATTENTION PLEASE! Our refugees are now arriving. As I said before, do make them welcome." Minerva's voice bellowed throughout the school.

Well that answered that question. Now, Fredrick knew what they were doing here. The only question left was what were they going to do with all these people?!

"Do you think that our parents are in that crowd?" Naruto whispers to Sasuke as the two of them join the Hat in looking out the window.

"Probably. Hogwarts is the safest place to be in a situation like this. There is strength in numbers." Sasuke whispers back.

"Good because I have a lot of things that I want to talk to them about. You know, like the fact that they placed a Fox Spirit inside me and just forgot to mention it!" Naruto growls.

At this point, Fredrick sighs. What else could he do? The blonde was justifiably angry, but that angry wouldn't help them. Hopefully, Minato and Kushina could calm their son. There was still a war to be won!


	20. Must Have Been Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the truth about Madara is revealed, Gaara makes a confession.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. This one will be narrated from Naruto's point of view.
> 
> Chapter Notation: Kyuubi/Kurama speaking will be in bold italics. To clear up any confusion, Kaguya is using advanced magic to communicate with Hinata. She's able to project her thoughts into Hinata's mind and in a way, hijacking Madara's Imperio. That may or may not line up with canon, but I hope you all enjoy the liberties that I have taken this chapter as it pertains to Kaguya's magic.

"Let me see, if I understand this correctly. Your boyfriend has turned into a vampire?" Itachi asks in amusement as he treats Sasuke's neck injury.

Naruto twitches. He was not a vampire. He wasn't really sure what he was exactly, but it wasn't like he was trying to drink Sasuke's _blood._ That was just gross!

Not that he had anything against vampires. The blonde wasn't a specieist or anything. He just couldn't see himself sucking people's blood, but he digressed.

"I'm not a vampire!" Naruto hisses at him.

"I don't know. Your teeth have gotten rather sharp." Itachi notes in amusement.

The Gryffindor really didn't see what was so funny about this situation. Itachi was about two seconds from being hexed with _something_. Naruto wasn't really sure what he was going to throw at the other man, but the Uchiha Wizard was asking for it.

"Itachi, will you please stop teasing my boyfriend. Naruto feels weird enough without you adding to it!" Sasuke snaps at his brother.

"Yeah! That's right! Hey! Wait a minute!" The blonde grumbles.

"And why do you feel weird, Naruto? Tell me, what's going on. I think that I have a right to know. You did tear into my foolish little brother." The Ravenclaw teases him.

Naruto winces. He knew that he had bitten Sasuke harder than he should have. He hadn't meant to do it, but he still did.

"It's a long story. I really need to talk to my parents. They have a lot of explaining to do." The sapphire eyed wizard whispers.

Naruto wasn't the only one whispering though. Sasuke had walked over to his brother and was now whispering in Itachi's ear. Whatever his boyfriend had said, got the other man's attention.

"You're not serious. The Nine Tails?" Itachi says in awe.

**"Oh the Brat is serious. He's very serious. I was there myself when Kyuubi was placed into Naruto. He was just a baby at the time. Minato made the Fox promise not to contact Naruto, unless it was absolutely necessary. Now, it's absolutely necessary.** " Fredrick explains.

Naruto blinks when he sees Itachi's reaction. The other wizard looked stunned. He'd never seen Itachi look so unsure of what to do next before. That wasn't a good sign.

"In that case, we have bigger things to worry about than a scratch on my brother's neck. I can't believe that Minato and Kushina would sanction such a thing. I'll do what I can to help you, Naruto. I'm just not sure that I can be of much help in your _unique_ circumstance." The elder Uchiha says with a sigh.

"I'm patched up. Let's go find Naruto's parents and the others. The war is gearing up. If the Nine Tails is coming out, we don't have much time to prepare." Sasuke reasons.

**"Look at you. All grown up and responsible now. I'm proud of you, Brat. You're right. It's time to go find the others and to prepare for war."** Fredrick says, after Itachi heals Sasuke's neck.

The blonde sighs and intertwines his fingers with Sasuke's. If there was going to be a war, he wasn't going to let his boyfriend out of his sight. Well his Mate. His almost Mate, anyway.

"You ready for this?" Naruto asks.

"As ready as I'll ever be. That means no, but it doesn't matter. It's coming, anyway." The Slytherin replies and with that, Naruto, Sasuke, and the Sorting Hat all head off.

Itachi wasn't going with them. They all knew the truth. Once the fighting started, the elder Uchiha would be needed in the Infirmary. Desperately needed, so the young wizards and Hat would have to confront Naruto's parents on their own.

* * *

Naruto nods in agreement. It didn't take long for them to get to the Grand Hall, everyone was there. Their classmates, their friends who had graduated, and most importantly his parents.

His parents who had a lot of explaining to do. That whole inserting a Fox Spirit inside him without his permission thing, well that wasn't something Naruto was just going to let go. He was entitled to an explanation! From them, not the Hat!

"Naruto, calm down." Sasuke murmurs quietly at him.

Calm down? He loved Sasuke and all. The Gryffindor really did, but they were way beyond the point where he could just calm down about all of this!

"He knows." Naruto hears his mother warn his father.

Oh good. That would be quite the time saver. Now, he wasn't going to have to explain why he was furious. Really, it was convenient not to have to explain that.

"Naruto, I know that you are going through a lot now, but we should move this somewhere more private. I swear that we'll explain everything to you." Minato says.

The more logical side of his brain, knew that. He couldn't just start screaming at them about the Nine Tails in the Great Hall. Despite that, Naruto wasn't feeling very logical. He wanted answers and he wanted them now!

**_"Naruto, listen to the man. Go to Room of Requirement. He had his reasons."_** The blonde hear a voice in his head say.

It sounded so utterly _alien._ There was something animalistic about it, but Naruto couldn't quite describe what. There was a growl in its every word and yet, the Nine Tails was perfectly understandable.

Naruto understood every word and who was speaking tog him. This was the Fox Spirit that his parents had put inside him. The one that they had placed inside him when he was just a baby and no one had ever bothered to tell him about!

"He can explain his reasons, right here!" Naruto snarls at the Nine Tails.

That's when the Gryffindor notices some of his friends giving him funny looks. Damn it. Apparently, the D.A. couldn't hear the Fox. Only he could. Nice. Now, he sounded like he was a nutter!

"Naruto, let's go. We don't want this sort of thing getting out. It could cause a panic." Sasuke says soothingly.

If it wasn't for Sasuke, Naruto probably would have already torn into his parents. How could they do this to him? How could they leave him so unprepared to face whatever this was?!

"Alright. Let's get going. I'm assuming that you two know where the Room of Requirement is. We'll meet you there." Naruto says as he drags Sasuke off with him.

He needed the other wizard around him. The raven haired man was the only thing keeping him from completely flying off the handle. So incensed was Naruto, that he didn't realize Hinata and Gaara were following them.

* * *

Thankfully, his parents knew where the Room of Requirement was. Less than ten minutes later, they were there. So were Gaara and Hinata.

"What are you guys doing here?" The blonde asks.

"We're here to support you. I don't know what's going on, but you are a member of the D.A. We all stand or fall together." The red head says.

That was shockingly _sweet_ in a weird way. Hinata was definitely a good influence on him. Maybe, the little psycho was slowly becoming less psycho.

Idly, Naruto observes that Slytherin wasn't so little anymore. He had just been a late bloomer. Now, he was only a bit shorter than himself and Gaara had filled out. The Keeper had some pretty impressive biceps.

"That's right." Hinata says in agreement as she stands next to her boyfriend.

Well at least Naruto thought they were dating. If they weren't, they were obviously going to be soon. Well that was assuming that they all didn't die in the war. Which he wouldn't let it happen! Believe it!

"Naruto, we just thought that it would be better for you not to know. We really did hope that you would never have to find out about Kyuubi." Kushina says.

"Mrs. Uzumaki, you might want to back up." Sasuke warns her.

Naruto loved his mother. He loved his father, but right now he was angry. He couldn't believe that his parents would keep something like this from him!

**_"They were only doing it to protect you. I've been inside you for most of your life. You never noticed me. No harm has been done to you."_** The Nine Tails says.

Great. Now, the Fox was on THEIR side. He should be on Naruto's side. After all, they were sharing the same body!

Wait. How did that even work? Did Kyuubi see everything that Naruto did? Was he privy to his snogging sessions with Sasuke? If so, that was really, really gross!

"No harm has been done to me?! My parents kept this a secret from me, my entire life!" He thunders at the Fox.

"Naruto, if you wish to speak with the Nine Tails, you just direct your thoughts at it. You don't have to shout." His father says apologetically.

Well that was good to know. At least he wouldn't feel like such a freak, anymore. Naruto could have private conversations with the Fox and look a little less crazy!

**_"You really need to calm down. Panicking isn't going to help matters. Besides, we have a war to win. You want to protect your friends, right? You want to protect your intended, right? Well I can help you do that."_** The animal spirit continues on.

Maybe, Kyuubi was right. Maybe, he could help them somehow. Naruto wasn't really sure how yet, but his parents must have had a good reason for installing the Fox inside him.

"You better start talking. I'm not really in the mood for anymore secrecy." The blonde hisses at his family.

"After Voldemort was defeated, we knew that eventually another Dark Wizard or Witch would rise to power. It always happens." The red headed witch says.

That was true. Bad guys would always be around. Naruto couldn't really argue with that logic, but he damn sure could argue with their methods for dealing with that fact.

"Yeah. So?" He demands.

"Naruto, relax." Sasuke says as he kisses the other wizard's cheek.

Thank Merlin, for Sasuke. The blonde really didn't know what he would have done without his Mate. As soon as he got a chance, he was going to demonically marry Sasuke.

Sasuke had said that he could live with that, right? Naruto would feel better, once he knew that he could sense the Slytherin all the time. It would bring him comfort during the war. That was for sure.

"Kyuubi is a Tailed Beast. There are nine of them in all. These animal spirits are made out of pure magic. They have great power, but unfortunately they are also capable of destruction and they can't be allowed to roam free. So the concept of Jinchuuriki, came to be. That's what we call their hosts." Minato explains.

He was a Jinchuuriki then. That made sense. Kinda. The Tailed Beasts needed a way to be controlled and solid bodies of their own. It was a symbiotic relationship.

There was only one problem. He had never agreed to this. His parents had taken away his choice. Naruto had only been a baby at the time. He hadn't known what was going on. That was just wrong.

"So I'm basically letting Kyuubi hitchhike in exchange for extra magic." He mutters bitterly.

**"That's one way to look at it, Brat. Don't look so glum. You may be the key to winning this fight."** The Sorting Hat says.

Naruto twitches. He really wished that people would stop calling him a Brat. It seemed to be a Sorting Hat and Kyuubi thing though. Well he needed to shut the Fox off. He didn't want to hear anymore.

"Sasuke, come on. I think I've heard enough here. I get the basics. We should get ready for the fight. It looks like it's going to happen anytime now." He says with a sigh.

"Naruto, please don't be like this. We only did this to help protect the Wizarding World. We wouldn't have done it, if we thought that it would hurt you." Kushina says.

Naruto feels his teeth lengthen and instinctively, he knew that they were fangs. He really wanted to get away from all of them. Well except, for Sasuke. Sasuke was his Mate.

While Naruto was trying to calm down, he never noticed that Hinata's wand was slowly rising. Slowly rising against her will. Nor did he realize the internal struggle that his friend was going through. The struggle not to kill him.

_"Do it, little one. You'll save so many lives by killing him. The one with the Nine Tails can't be allowed to live. He'll spoil everything."_ Hinata hears a feminine voice inside her head.

"Hinata, what are you doing?" Gaara asks in confusion.

"No! I won't do it!" The Hyuga Witch growls out as she tries to lower her wand.

That's when Naruto turns around and blinks. Hinata's entire arm was shaking and she had placed another hand on it. She was trying to lower her wand, but couldn't.

_"It's only two words. Killing him now, would be a mercy. I'm not going to allow anything to stop this new world that we're trying to create. Oh Madara, will be angry with me later. That's alright though. He can be made to see reason."_ The voice continues inside her head.

"Accio wand!" Gaara cries out, before Naruto could really process what was going on.

"Incarcerous!" Sasuke thunders out as a series of ropes wrap themselves around Hinata.

"Hinata, what the Bloody Hell is going on?!" Naruto demands.

He could see that the tied up witch was terrified. What had she been trying to do? What spell had see been trying to cast?

"I c-can't say. Spell. A s-spell prevents me from telling you." Hinata manages to stammer out.

"It looked like she was fighting to keep from casting a spell. Someone was controlling her or was trying to, anyway. Naruto, I think your friend is in under the influence of an Unforgivable Curse." Minato says.

Naruto's eyes widen in horror. Someone had been controlling Hinata through magic. So much so, that the Hufflepuff hadn't been able to tell them what was going on. That was powerful and dark magic.

"It's okay, Hinata. It's not your fault. You did good. You fought it, but we can't untie you. Not when you are under that sort of spell. What were they trying to make you do?" The blonde asks softly.

"The Killing Curse. They wanted me to kill you. I can't tell you who. The spell m-akes that impossible." She whispered sadly and it looked like the Hyuga Heiress was truly on the verge of tears.

That just made Naruto's blood boil. Hinata wouldn't hurt a fly. Someone was trying to force her to do Unforgivable Curses. Someone needed to pay.

**"Let me see the girl's hand."** Fredrick orders them.

Naruto blinks, but lets Fredrick have a look at Hinata's hand. That's when he noticed something. It was fairly small, but too big to be a younger student's. It creamy white. Just like the hand that they had seen on the video.

"You were the one who was spying on Orocohimaru." Naruto mutters.

They still didn't' know who had done it though. Who had cast an Unforgivable Curse at Hinata? Who had done it and how had they known to target Naruto? How had they known about Kyuubi?

"Hinata, you're going to stay here. You'll be safe here during the battle, but we can't trust you to fight. For now, I'm going after Professor Rama. He's the one that did this." Gaara growls.

"Wait. What makes you think that he did it?" The sapphire eyed wizard demands.

"He has a scar from an Eagle Owl. He suddenly comes back with a wife and it has to be someone who had access to Hinata. He fits all those criteria. It's him." The red head hisses.

Naruto nods slowly as he considers what the Slytherin was saying. That was all true. When he put it like that, the odds of it not being the Ancient Runes Professor seemed rather low.

"Alight. I'm going with you then." The Gryffindor says.

"And I'm going with you as well." Sasuke decrees.

"Sasuke, you can't go with us. I don't know what I would do, if anything happened to you. You need to stay here. Besides, someone should protect Hinata." Naruto commands.

He probably should have known better. Naruto should have known that Sasuke wasn't going to make things easy for him. He had a very stubborn almost Mate!

"I'm going with you. There's no way that I'm going to leave you to face whatever this is alone. It's only a matter of time before Hogwarts is attacked. It was attacked in the last war." Sasuke retorts.

**"I'll stay and watch the girl."** Fredrick offers.

"That's very nice of you, Hat. Unfortunately, you've only just gotten a wand recently. I'm not really sure how much magic you can use yet. One of us will have to stay as well." Kushina says.

Naruto frowns. Gaara was out for blood and there was no way he was sitting this one out. That meant that Sasuke was coming along for the ride. The Sorting Hat could only do much. That left only one of three choices.

His father could stay behind and watch Hinata. That or his mother could do it. Finally, there was a third possibility. They both might stay behind to protect the witch.

"I'll stay. I'm sorry, Naruto. I should have told you the truth years ago. I just wanted you to have a normal childhood. Let me make it up to you." Minato says.

"That's sweet, but you're needed out there. There's no finer duelist in all of Britain. I will stay here." Kushina replies.

Naruto sighs as he looks at his parents. As angry with them as he was, the blonde didn't want to split them up. They had no real choice though.

"Alright. Mom, you stay behind. Make sure that Hinata gets out of whatever we're about to face, alive. If you don't, forget about the giants. Gaara is much scarier than them. He'll go nuts." Naruto says with a nervous laugh.

"That is true." Gaara agrees in a monotone voice that somehow still managed to send chills up the blonde's spine.

"Don't worry. I'll protect her. You should all go. Don't worry about me, My Love." Kushina says as she kisses her husband.

The Gryffindor could only sigh as he watches his parents say their goodbyes. He wasn't stupid. There was a chance that this might be the last time they saw each other. He was resolved not to let that happen though.

"I'll always worry about you because I love you." Minato whispers.

"I love you too. Now go!" Kushina says.

"I love you too, mum. I'm still mad at you and dad about all this, but that doesn't change the fact that I love you both to bits." He says.

Kushina smiles back at her son. For a moment, Naruto was sure that everything was going to be alright. That was before he saw Gaara lean down and whisper something to Hinata that caused her to blush.

"Oh sure! NOW, you confess!" Naruto grumbles.

"If you don't shut up, I'm going to cast a bloody Silencing Charm on you." The red head seethes at him and Hinata blushes more.

Whatever Gaara had told her, must have been GOOD. Then again, the Slytherin had had years to prepare his love confession. Sasuke had barely been a teenager when he confessed to Naruto, but the other Slytherin was an adult.

There was probably some serious seduction going on in that love declaration. One way or another, Naruto was going to find out what Gaara said to Hinata. Though, it would have to wait for now.

"Come on. We have to go. I don't want Professor Rama to slip off while we're all distracted." Naruto says and with that, the group takes off.

* * *

It didn't take long for them to find Professor Rama's quarters. His wife was there with him. It was now or never.

"I'm going to say this once and I expect the truth. What did you do to Hinata?" Gaara says as the sand swirls around him violently.

"I'd tell him. Gaara doesn't have the best temper on a good day and my boyfriend is more than ready to kick your ass as well. Not to mention, Minato isn't a slouch with a wand and I won't hesitate to set you on fire below the belt." Sasuke warns him.

Naori blinks. Why were these people worried about a girl? What had her husband done?

"Madara, what did you do?!" She whispers in terror.

"I didn't do anything to the girl. I just put her under an Imperio and told her to watch the staff members. I would never harm a child. Yes, I know that it was wrong to use that spell, but I had to make sure that that the staff of Hogwarts wouldn't ruin our plans." He admits.

"That's funny. Hinata says that someone told her to use the Killing Curse on me. Your story doesn't match up with hers and right now, I trust her a Hell of a lot more than I trust you." Naruto seethes at him.

His wife's eyes widen in recognition. Naruto wasn't sure what the women knew that they didn't, but she knew something. Something that horrified her.

"Kaguya. Kaguya must have used the spell to bewitch the poor girl. I told you that we couldn't trust her. She wanted an innocent school girl to become a murderer!" Naori snaps at her husband.

"I'll admit that she's not the most ethical witch that has ever lived, but I never thought that she would stoop this far. I'm deeply sorry." He says.

"Wait. What did you call him?" Minato demands of the purple haired witch.

That's when she winces. Oh this was going to be good. Apparently, his father knew something that they didn't.

"I suppose the truth is coming out. I called him Madara. That's who he is. He just assumed another identity, after the Second War with Voldemort." The witch confesses.

Naruto blinks. THE Madara?! As in Sasuke and Itachi's great great uncle or something? The one who had fought in the Battle of Hogwarts and had helped to turn the tide?

"That explains a lot." He mutters bitterly.

"Tobi Rama. As in Tobirama. Tobirama was my great great grandfather's lover. After his wife died from childbirth, he took another lover. I should have realized it before. You really are Madara." Sasuke says.

"Well I suppose that my wife was right. The truth is coming out. The question is what are you going to do about it? My suggestion is that you all lay low and Kaguya will allow you a place in the new world that you're creating. I can dispel the enchantment that is on your friend." He offers.

Naruto sees Gaara twitch at that. That was the only warning that they all had before a tidal wave of sand slams the older wizard against the wall. Uh oh.

"MADARA!" Naori cries out in fright.

"Oh don't worry. I won't kill him. At least not yet. He's going to undo that spell, no matter what. Though there is no way that I'm going to allow the crazy bitch who wanted Hinata to become a murderer to take over the Wizarding World. Naruto, how do you feel about letting that Fox out for a hunt?" Gaara asks.


	21. A Lot of Explaining to Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madara and Sasuke both have a lot of explaining to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. It will be shown from Sasuke's perspective.
> 
> Chapter Notation: I'm not exactly sure, if Aoda and Manda were related. For the sake of this story though, I'm going to say they were.
> 
> Kyuubi talking will be in bold italics.

Sasuke was pretty sure that the only reason that Madara was still alive was because he had cursed Hinata. If he hadn't done that, everyone's favorite little psycho would have slaughtered him. Madara Uchiha was a legend in the magical community, but Gaara had righteous fury on his side. That and Sasuke doubted that his relative would put up much of a fight.

The other wizard clearly knew what he had done was wrong, even his wife was scolding him for it. That puzzled the Slytherin. He didn't know why the Ancient Rune Professor had agreed to help Kaguya, if he clearly didn't want to go around cursing students. It just didn't make any sense.

"I think that sounds like a bloody brilliant idea, myself. You better start talking or else I'm gonna let Gaara do what he does best. Blow stuff up." Naruto warns Madara.

"I'm not going to let you blow up my husband!" Naori warns the youngest blonde.

"Lady, you won't have a choice. Your husband used an Unforgivable Curse on our friend. We aren't going to let that go. First of all, he's going to fix Hinata. Secondly, he's going to tell us what the Hell is going on. If he does that, then maybe we'll let him go." The sapphire eyed wizard says.

Sasuke sighs as he glances at his boyfriend. He couldn't believe this. Naruto Uzumaki was essentially issuing death threats. What was the world coming to?

**_"Brat, get a handle on the red head. Madara may be the key to winning this war. Besides, we have to tell the others what is going on and force him to free Hinata. The witch will be an extra wand in the battle that we can't afford to lose."_** Kurama says.

"Right. So Madara and Naori, you're coming with us. We have to tell the others what's going on and prepare for the fight!" Naruto says and with that, he casts a spell to bind Naori and Madara up in ropes.

Sasuke shakes his head. He didn't think that Naori needed tied up and Madara was a bit debatable. He had given up rather quickly, once caught. Those weren't the actions of a bloodthirsty killer.

Someone was using him, but who? Who could be powerful enough to make Madara Uchiha their pawn? He was one of the greatest duelists that the world had ever seen.

"Take him back to the Room of Requirement. I'll make sure that everyone meets you there. Are you three going to be okay with them on your own?" Minato asks.

"Don't worry, Dad. We've totally got this! Believe it!" Naruto says with a grin.

Minato looked a little less than convinced, but he quickly heads off. Sasuke sighs in relief and with that, the rest of their procession made their way to the Room of Requirement. Honestly, Sasuke wasn't sure what they would have done without it.

* * *

A short while later, Minato had kept his word. All of the D.A. were there. That included the original members and also Sasuke's parents. Mikoto in particular seemed to be rather fascinated by the fact the Sorting Hat had legs and arms now.

"Oh that's quite clever and they work exactly like prosthetic limbs?" The raven haired woman asks.

**"Yes, they do. I'm quite pleased with them. I even have my own wand. Which is a damn good thing. It looks like we are in for one Hell of a fight."** Fredrick replies.

"Mother, is that really what we should be focusing on right now?" Itachi says with a sigh.

Mikoto had the decency to look sheepish and Sasuke shakes his head. Well at least she wasn't panicking. Losing it, wouldn't help anyone.

"Right. We're all here now. So you need to fix Hinata now and then get talking. Don't even try to run. You might be damn good with your wand, but you can't beat all of us. Remember, Harry Bloody Potter is here!" Naruto reminds Madara in a manner that Sasuke could only describe as absolutely menacing.

It didn't sound like his boyfriend. This was so wrong. Naruto wasn't supposed to sound menacing. Naruto was Naruto!

"Alright. Alright. I get the damn point. I'll release the girl, but I'll need to be unbound. So will my wife. You have an army here. The two of us are not going to be able to fight our way out." He says.

Gaara looked less than thrilled by this and Sasuke couldn't blame him. If someone had Imperioed Naruto, he'd never forgive them. There was a reason why it was called an Unforgivable Curse, after all.

"I don't like it, but the man has a point. Yeah?!" Deidara says.

Not surprisingly, the Gryffindors were the first to weigh in on the topic. He'd never met a group of more boisterous people before. Naruto, Minato, Karin, Suigetsu, Sakura, Choji, Kiba, and Ino were handful by anyone's definition. (Though Sasuke does privately acknowledge that Minato and Choij were by far the most mellow members of Gryffindor in the room).

"This is crazy! He's a freaking legend! I don't care how many people are in this room. You don't underestimate Madara Uchiha! He fought in the Battle of Hogwarts! The man is a beast!" Kiba says.

"We also fought in the Battle of Hogwarts." Hermione reminds him.

Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, George, Draco, and Luna all shake their heads at this. There were times when Sasuke almost forgot that they were all living legends in their own right. None of them put on airs about their abilities. Well except for Draco.

"Kiba didn't mean to be disrespectful, but you know what he meant." Karin says half in defense of her House Mate and half apologetically.

Surprisingly, the red headed witch was still going strong with Sakura. That was just fine with Sasuke though. He was glad that they had both moved on from him and had someone to fight for. Each other.

"It's alright. We get the point. Though Madara is correct. It's unlikely that even he and his wife would be able to fight their way out of this room against all of us." Harry replies.

Sasuke had grown up hearing stories about how Harry Potter used to be pretty impulse and even reckless. If Naruto was loyal to the point of absolute stupidity, Harry was brave to the point of absolute stupidity. In that way, they were a lot alike.

At some point though, the wizard must have mellowed out slightly. Not having an evil nemesis around could do that to a person. That or maybe married life just agreed with him. Fatherhood might also be the reason, but Sasuke digressed.

"Don't make me regret this." Sasori whispers to Madara as he undoes the ropes.

"I won't. Now, let me see the girl." He states as he strides over to Hinata.

Gaara immediately darts over with his wand drawn. Sasuke blinks. Gaara was fast on and off the Quidditch Field. This was especially true when it came to protecting the Hyuga Princess, it seemed. In was rather romantic, in a morbid way.

"Relax. I'm not going to hurt your girlfriend." Madara says as he releases Hinata from the Curse.

"I'd say thank you, but you were the one who put me under that spell in the first place." Hinata grumbles, after Konan frees her from her own bindings.

"What a drag. We still need to find out what is going on? Who is behind all these attacks and when can we expect them to attack? That or should we attack first? We certainly have a lot of fighters." Shikamaru says with a yawn.

Only Shikamaru, could yawn at a time like this. Then again, he was probably exhausted. Sasuke hadn't been sleeping well lately and he doubted that he was the only one suffering from stress-induced insomnia. So maybe, the lazy genius could be forgiven for his laziness this time.

"Yes, Madara. Tell them what is going on!" Naori snaps at her husband.

Hmm. Trouble in paradise. It looked like the pretty witch hadn't been entirely briefed on the situation. That was interesting.

"When I lost Naori in the War, I was a broken man. I would have done anything to get her back. Several years ago, a powerful witch sought me out. Her name was Kaguya and she had a dream. A dream that the magical community would come out of hiding and reign supreme over the Muggle World." Madara says with a sigh.

"And you went along with it." Neji says accusingly.

That didn't seem entirely fair. Sasuke could hear the weariness in his ancestor's voice. There was more to this story.

"Quiet. We need to hear everything." Temari scolds her Housemate while Shikamaru mutters something about troublesome women.

"It wasn't her ideal that appealed to me. She had something that I wanted. She offered to bring Naori back, if I helped her. So I did. In the long run, I didn't see the harm in coming out of the shadows and I could get the woman that I loved back. It seemed perfect. As time wore on though, I was forced to do things that I regretted. Things like using an Unforgivable Curse on a schoolgirl. Kaguya kept her word though. She brought Naori back. Well more specifically, Hidan brought her back." Madara continues.

Hidan blinks. That's when Sasuke realizes something. The Blood Magic. Hidan had apparently known how to revive the dead in theory and Kaguya had forced him to do it. It was likely, that the Slytherin hadn't even known what was going on.

"I never brought anyone back from the dead. I'll admit that I've read about stuff like that, but I've never done it." He protests.

**"Not consciously. The witch must have used Imperio on you as well. Most likely, she followed it with a series of powerful Memory Charms. Very clever. Evil, but clever."** The Sorting Hat observes.

That thought made Sasuke's blood run cold. Who knew what else they had all been forced to do? It seemed like there was almost nothing that Kaguya wasn't capable of.

"That evil bitch." Pain mutters in disgust.

"Normally, I would deduct House Points for your language, but you've already graduated. That and in this particular circumstance, I can't fault you for accuracy." Minerva says with a sigh.

"Bloody brilliant. Finally! Finally, the Old Bat is going to let everyone curse!" George says happily and the Headmistress rolls her eyes as she hurls a Silencing Charm on the red head.

Sasuke finds himself chuckling despite the situation. The Headmistress could certainly be amusing at times. It didn't matter how old she was. That cat still had claws. Really sharp claws and she wasn't afraid to use them.

"George, you really should know better than to yank a cat's tail." Ginny teases her brother.

"Well if Kaguya spelled Hidan, that means that he's under her control. Madara can't undo that one." Kakuzu reasons.

Sasuke frowns as he nods. That was true. Damn it. They were going to have to tie him up now. They had traded Hidan for Hinata in this war.

That was fine though. They still had the numbers the Hyuga Heiress was likely going to be fierce on the battlefield. After all, the woman was likely filled with righteous fury over what had been done to her.

"Damn it. Sorry, Hidan. It looks like we are going to have to tie you up though." Suigetsu says as he proceeds to do exactly that.

"It took almost a decade, but Suigetsu finally did something useful. Mark that down on the calendar!" Karin says cheerfully.

"Karin, now really isn't the time to be making jokes." Shino says with an agitated sigh.

The insect lover was right about that. Time was running out. They would need to act fast, if they were going to beat Kaguya. Though Madara still hadn't answered the two most important questions.

"When is she planning to attack? If she's going to take over the Wizarding World, Kaguya is going to target Hogwarts." Jugo asks softly.

That was one of the questions. When. When was a very important question. Hopefully, Madara knew the answer.

"In three days time. You must be ready. She has recruited many people. Giants, Veelas, Leprechauns, Witches, and Wizards are all part of her army." He warns them.

Great. Just bloody great. Maybe, they didn't have the numbers. Though they did have the school. If nothing else, Hogwarts had a way of defending itself in perilous times.

"Three days isn't ideal, but it's better than being attacked immediately." Haku says.

"Well I guess that's one way to look on the bright side of things, but it still doesn't answer what we're going to do about it." Kankuro mutters.

That was true. A massive army was on the move against them. Sasuke knew that Naruto had the Nine Tailed Fox inside him, but that was a risky move. Could the Fox be trusted?

"Don't worry! The Power of Youth will make sure that we all get out of this just fine!" Lee exclaims excitedly.

"Lee, I admire your courage, but now is really not the time for inspirational speeches." Kushina chides him gently.

"We need to warn everyone in this castle. We'll need to get the younger students to safety. Everyone Fifth Year and up can fight though." Zetsu says.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. He wanted to know who put the Akatsuki Member in charge. Unfortunately, he was right. A Fourth Year in combat would be pushing it.

"We can't do that. If we leave all the young people alone, they'll be attacked by the bad guys. If the bad guys find them, they'll be sitting ducks." Tenten argues.

That was also true. They were going to have to sacrifice some of their fighters to protect the children. Damn it!

"There's only one way to decide this fairly. Everyone who is at least a Fifth Year and older will put their name into a goblet. We'll have two hundred names drawn from it. Those will be the ones charge with protecting the children." Luna decrees.

That was sound logic. Sasuke couldn't really argue with hit. So much for her being airy and not all there. Apparently, the Pudding Princess knew what she was doing.

"She's right. That's the best way to go about this." Draco agrees.

"Malfoy is being agreeable. This really must be war." Neville teases him.

"Alright, everyone. We have our plan. Let's focus on briefing everyone and getting everyone's names into that goblet." Fugaku says.

* * *

The others agree and soon enough, everyone heads off on their respective tasks. Sasuke smiles as he sees Hinata and Gaara walk off together. Well at least one good thing had come out of this war.

**_"Now would be the ideal time to Mark him. Everyone is busy making battle preparations. It is time to make your own preparations. You'll be much stronger, after the two of you have Mated."_** Kyuubi informs Naruto.

"You alright? I know that all of this is intense." Sasuke whispers as he places his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Yeah. I'm alright. I just think that we should focus on each other for tonight. We've got three days." The blonde says.

Sasuke nods in agreement. That's when he hears something strange. It was faint, but he definitely could hear it.

"Yeah. That sounds good. Wait. I hear something." Sasuke says.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asks in confusion as it became rather obvious that the blonde hadn't the voice.

_"Something bad is coming! Something bad is coming! Must protect the Hatchlings!"_ A strange voice chants determinedly.

Sasuke had never heard anything like that voice in years. It was so _reptilian._ Frowning, he decides that he had better check it out. Obviously, this person was on their side.

"Follow me. I think that we can still find them." Sasuke orders Naruto as he drags the blonde off behind him.

_"Just can't look them in the eye. Bad things happen, when I look em in the eye."_ The voice continues.

"Naruto, did you hear that?" Sasuke asks again.

Naruto shakes his head and looks honestly perplexed. Sasuke tilts his head in confusion. The blonde had always had rather good hearing. So why couldn't he hear this voice?

"Whatever. Come on! We can't lose it. Just whatever you do, don't look at this things face. Something bad will happen, if you look it in the eye." Sasuke warns his boyfriend.

He wasn't really sure why this person was so worried about their eyes, but the wizard was more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. If they were that concerned about it, there was probably a very good reason. At least, that was Sasuke's logic as he and Naruto followed the voice.

**_"Something strange is going on. I sense another presence, but I don't see it. We're heading towards the Chamber of Secrets."_** Kyuubi tells Naruto.

* * *

After what felt like an eternity, they arrived. They arrived at a secret chamber. Sasuke blinks as he looks around in awe.

"Sasuke, we should go. We're in the Chamber of Secrets. Harry killed a Basilisk here. Who knows what else might still be lurking about?" The blonde asks him anxiously.

"Yeah. Apparently, he didn't make that part up." Sasuke says as he gestures to the skeleton of a truly enormous snake.

"Guess not. Yeah. Let's get out of here." Naruto insists.

That was new. A Gryffindor didn't want to get into trouble. Though Sasuke couldn't really blame him. That skeleton was pretty intimidating and the Chamber was less than welcoming.

_"Who are you?"_ The voice hisses out.

That's when Sasuke and Naruto turn around and see a giant snake. A giant snake that might actually have been bigger than the one that Harry Potter had faced. It was a damn miracle that they hadn't looked into the creature's eyes and sealed their fate.

"Avis!" Sasuke says quickly and a flock of birds shoot out of his wand, blocking the things eyes from them.

They would have been done for, otherwise. It bought them some time, but he didn't know how much. Maybe, Naruto was right. They should run.

"Good thinking! Let's go!" The blonde says.

_"Don't be afraid, Hatchlings. If I wanted to hurt you, I would have already eaten you. I don't eat humans. I'm not my father. I like children." I'll avert my gaze. So there's no need to be afraid."_ The snake continues on.

"Wait. It's not going to hurt us. It's going to look away." Sasuke says.

Naruto looks at his boyfriend, like he had grown another head or something. Right. The whole Parselmouth thing wasn't common.

"What are you bloody talking about?! We need to get away before that thing tries to eat us!" The sapphire eyed wizard snaps at him.

"We don't. I'm a Parselmouth. I can talk to snakes. I just didn't tell anyone because well…it's a bit weird. I haven't talked to any snakes besides garden snakes before though." Sasuke tells him.

Naruto just gapes at Sasuke and the Uchiha rubs the back of his head sheepishly. He kinda deserved that. Now, probably wasn't the best time to spring the whole, _"I can talk to snakes,"_ thing on the guy.

"Well congratulations! That's a Hell of a lot bigger than a garden snake!" Naruto says sarcastically!

"You can yell at me later. I should probably answer the snake before it gets angry." The Slytherin retorts.

Sasuke could see that his boyfriend was feeling a little indignant about the whole thing. He'd just have to make it up to him later. Of course, that was assuming they lived through the war in the first place.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha and this is Naruto Uzumaki. What did you mean by protect the Hatchlings earlier?" Sasuke asks cautiously.

_"I sense an army approaching. The Hatchlings can't defend themselves. Too little. So I was planning on bursting out of the pipes and surprising some of them. It's rare to meet someone who can speak my language. I'm Aoda."_ The snake answers him.

Well that was an idea. Sasuke had to give Aoda credit, he was smart. Well in a very reptilian way.

"That sounds like a good idea. Would you be willing to give me and my friends a hand? I might have a better idea though. You could protect the Hatchlings easier this way." Sasuke suggests.

Naruto was watching Sasuke with wide eyes. Sasuke knew that his boyfriend couldn't understand a word he was saying. That was alright though. He'd explain later.

_"What's your idea?"_ Aoda asks.

"You can protect the younger people at this school. You can be a guard. Some of our people are too young or little to fight. They need someone to watch them. We are going to have some of our fighters guard them, but you could help a lot in this respect. I'll have to conjure you a giant pair of glasses or a blindfold though. We don't want you to accidentally hit someone on our side with those eyes of yours." Sasuke reasons.

The Uchiha wait's a moment. If this worked, this would be perfect. Aoda would be like a really, really big guard dog. Well guard snake, he mentally corrects himself.

_"I could do that. Won't the children be afraid of me though?"_ Aoda asks.

That was a good point. A lot of children and even adults were terrified of snakes. Still Sasuke was reasonably confident, that he could keep a panic from breaking out.

"They might be at first. Let us talk to them and we'll see what we can do about that. Is there anything that we could do for you? You are helping us out here." Sasuke offers.

_"I hear the House Elves are really good cooks. It sounds better than just hunting whatever is down here…"_ He hisses out.

"Right. I'll talk to the elves about bringing you some food. I'll come back tomorrow. Same time?" Sasuke asks and Aoda nods his head in agreement.

The Uchiha smiles in response and heads off with Naruto. His boyfriend was probably going to be furious with him, but he might as well face the music. An angry Naruto was still better than a dead Naruto.

"You've got A LOT of explaining to do." The Gryffindor grumbles.


	22. Focus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is preparing for battle and Naruto decides to focus more on Sasuke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. This is the Demonic Marriage Chapter. So that means that it will be narrated from Naruto's and Sasuke's perspective. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one.

A short while later, everyone was jammed into the Great Hall. Naruto had never actually been in a crowd this large before. It was actually exciting enough that for a moment, he forgot that he was annoyed at Sasuke for keeping such a big secret from him.

That was until he saw the Goblet. The Goblet that had thousands of names inside it and would decide who would be an active combatant and who would stay behind to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. The children.

"Alright, everyone. I believe that you all know what is going on to an extent. The Veela, the Leprechauns, and Giants have all been acting strangely. Well there is a reason for that. Though perhaps it would be best, if I let Madara explain all this. He knows more about the situation than I do." Minato says.

The sounds of shock suddenly echoed around the room. Madara had disappeared decades ago. It had never been confirmed that the Legendary Duelist had died, but most people had assumed so after awhile. No one could really believe that Madara Uchiha was alive and in the same room as them.

"Thank you, Minato for that marvelous introduction." The elder Uchiha says as he strides forward confidently with his wife.

Naruto hated to admit it, but the man did have a presence about him. It was impossible, not to notice him. The Gryffindor assumed that it had something to do with that mane of hair.

"I am Madara's wife. There is much that has to be said, but I believe that it would be best to summarize. There is a powerful witch called Kaguya. She believes that the Magical World should reveal itself to the Muggle World. Not only that, the demented witch feels that it is our right to rule over them. She'll be attacking Hogwarts with her army in three days time." Naori says.

"My Love has always had such a wonderful way with words. Yes, that summarizes the situation perfectly." Madara agrees.

That's when people started panicking. Naruto couldn't really blame them. That was a lot to take in.

"SILENCE! If you all want to live, you will shut up!" Madara roars like a lion and casts a Silencing Charm over the entire room. (Well everyone who wasn't in the D.A., anyway).

That's when Naruto blinks. Maybe, Gaara couldn't have taken this man. That was some serious magic. He had just silenced thousands of people with one spell.

"Yes, right. Thank you, Madara. We have a few days to get ready. There are many people who can't fight. The children will be moved to another location in the castle. Some of our people will stay with them to protect them, if the fighting does reach them." Minato continues.

This had to worked. It was the best way to keep as many people safe as possible. Hopefully, they could keep everyone from losing their minds before the battle even began.

"We've decided the best way to decide who will be an Active Combatant and who will be a Protector is to place everyone's name in the Goblet. The Protectors will have their names ejected from this Goblet and their names will appear on the wall in alphabetical order. Are there any questions?" Naruto's father finishes.

"We've also defined a child as anyone who younger than a Fifth Year." Gaara adds.

"Right. Gaara is right about that. Everyone else is old enough to fight or be an Protector." Minato agrees.

That's when Sasuke walks over to the blonde and his ancestor. He sighs and looks around. This might not end well.

"There's one more thing. I will be staying with the Protectors along with Aoda." Sasuke adds.

"Sasuke, that's great. I think that it's very noble of you to stay behind to help protect the children voluntarily, but who is Aoda?" Mikoto asks.

Oh boy. His mother was going to freak. Sasuke mentally braces himself and then decides it was better just to be blunt.

"Aoda is a Basilisk. I'm a Parselmouth. Don't worry though. He's not going to look at anyone on our side. He promised to avert his gaze. That and I'm thinking about making him a really large pair of sunglasses. That should prevent any accidents. He's really big and strong. He can help us." Sasuke answers his mother cautiously.

It was a good thing that Madara had silenced so many people. Apparently, everyone had a lot to say about this. A Basilisk around children wasn't really something that happened a lot.

"Sasuke, I've always told you to embrace your gifts. This wasn't exactly what I had in mind though." Fugaku says sheepishly.

"If the snake is friendly, let it help us. I doubt that any Death Eaters are suicidal enough to attack a Basilisk." Itachi offers.

"They aren't Death Eaters though." Hinata replies and Itachi shrugs.

Sasuke pauses. That was a good point. They didn't even have a name for the bad guys. That was going to get confusing for the history books.

"Let's just call them the Predators and be done with it. This woman preyed on Madara's suffering. She's a Predator. She exploits people's vulnerabilities." Gaara mutters in disgust.

The red head was still glaring at Madara. Obviously, there was no love lost there. Thankfully, the Druid wasn't stupid. He knew that Madara was an asset in this fight.

"Alright. We're calling them the Predators then. So we'll do the Goblet Thing and get the children "evacuated." Other than that, prepare for battle in whatever way you think is best. I'm going to go with Sasuke to check on our Basilisk. Does anyone else have a problem with my boyfriend's pet snake?" Naruto demands.

Gaara rears up his sand menacingly and Sasuke smiles. The little psycho was a big softie underneath it all. It was sweet how the Druid wanted to help them.

Upon seeing Gaara's sand thrashing everywhere, the people in the audience all shake their heads. There would be no further protests about Aoda. Sasuke smiles and heads of with Naruto.

"Well that was easier than I thought it would be." Sasuke whispers to his boyfriend.

"Yeah. I guess a massive Silencing Charm kinda helps things go more smoothly. I got a few things that I need to do before the fight. You going to be alright on your own for a bit? Can you meet me in the Chamber of Secrets tonight?" Naruto asks.

Sasuke tilts his head to the side in confusion. Naruto wanted to split up? He would have thought that the blonde would want to spend as much time together as possible before the fight.

"Um yeah. I can meet you there. What are you doing? Hanging out with your parents?" The Uchiha asks.

"Yeah. Don't worry. I love you. I'll see you in a few hours. Alright? Though I am so going to kick your ass later for keeping the whole Parselmouth thing a secret from me. That really wasn't cool." Naruto grumbles.

"Alright. I do kinda deserve to get my arse kicked for that. It just never came up. I love you too. It'll be nice to actually get some privacy for once. Granted, the Chamber of Secrets isn't exactly the first place that comes to mind when I think of romance, but beggars can't be choosers." Sasuke says with a wink as he heads off.

* * *

Naruto sighs as he watches Sasuke leave. He didn't want to send him away, but he needed time to prepare. After all, he did want to make this special. How many times did you really get demonically married in your life?

**_"Don't worry, Brat. I can lend a hand with some of the more complex magic."_** Kurama assures him.

"Great. Just make yourself scarce during the actual Mating. That'd be creepy." Naruto says as bounds off towards the Chamber of Secrets.

**_"What kind of deviant, do you take me for? Of course, I'm going to give you privacy during that time. I have no desire to watch two humans Mate."_** The Fox Spirit replies with a snort.

That was good. Well he still had a lot of work to do. Sasuke was right. The Chamber of Secrets wasn't exactly a place that was designed to be romantic. He was going to change all that though.

"Alright. The dreary gray walls are annoying. Can we fix that?" Naruto asks Kurama.

**_"Of course. I'm some weak human. I can change the walls as easily as you can blink."_** Kurama states and just like that, Naruto watches in awe as the walls change from a depressing stone gray to an elegant white marble.

"Whoa! That's so cool!" Naruto says with a grin.

Kurama was just getting started though. He transfigured the ceiling to look like the a starry sky with a Full Moon next. The grounds was soon covered with a plus red carpet and a water fountain formed in the middle.

He didn't stop there though. Soon enough thousands of scented candles in every color imaginable illuminated the room. Rich tapestries with all sorts of magical creatures and nature scenes abounded. There was also a rather large meal that the Fox Demon had conjured up that could rival a Hogwart's Feast.

"No way! Is that Firewhiskey?" Naruto asks with a grin.

**_"Yes, that is Firewhiskey. Hmm. One more thing. Humans like music."_** Kurama says and just like that, the room was filled with the sound of strangely sensual and hypnotic music that Naruto didn't recognized, but he definitely liked it.

"It's perfect!" He says with an even bigger grin.

* * *

Later that night, Sasuke heads to the Chamber and blinks. The place had been utterly transformed. It now looked like something out of a fairytale or a dream. It had gone from a nightmare to some sort of fantasy background that you might see on a perfume commercial.

Sasuke was a Pureblooded Wizard, but Naruto wasn't. His mother was a Muggleborn. That meant that the Uchiha was intimately acquainted with things like televisions and commercials. (Most of the latter were rather annoying in his opinion. No ad was going to make him want to purchase something that he didn't want to begin with)!

"Naruto?" He calls out uncertainly.

This had to be the work of his blonde, right? There was no way that Aoda did this. Speaking of the giant snake, where had he gone?

"Yeah! I'm here. So what do you think? It's pretty awesome, right?" The sapphire eyed wizard asks.

"It's amazing. You did all this in one day? For me?" Sasuke asks with a smile.

"Well the Fox helped, but it was my idea. I wanted to make everything special for you. I know that it's a war and all, but we have time. At least a little bit of it, anyway." Naruto says with a smile as he kisses Sasuke's cheek.

Sasuke blinks. It was nice that the Fox was willing to help him, but Naruto was going out of his way here. That could only mean one thing.

"You're serious about the whole Demonic Marriage Thing and you want to do it before the fighting starts." Sasuke says.

It wasn't a question. It was a statement. That had to be what Naruto was going for with all this. Why else would he go to such lengths to impress him.

"Sometimes, I think you should have been in Ravenclaw. Yeah. I know that we're young, but you've always been there. You've always been the one for me. I never even considered anyone else. I know you feel the same way. So why wait?" He asks.

That was a good point. There was a chance that they could die before the week was out. Why shouldn't they get married?

"You're right. I do feel the same way. I'm just not really sure how this Marking Thing works, exactly." Sasuke replies cautiously.

He trusted Naruto. One look at those hopeful sapphire blue eyes and he was a goner. He probably would have walked straight over hot coals to make him smile, but Naruto had never asked him to. (Thankfully, that sounded like it would hurt!)

"Kurama says that I just bite you on the neck and inject some of my magic into you. Once I do that, you'll get fangs for a bit as well. After that, you'll do the same thing to me." Naruto says.

Sasuke bites his lower lip and nods. That sounded like it was going to be at least a little painful, but the benefits definitely outweighed that. Naruto was apparently his blonde vampire for the night.

"Alright. I guess I should probably sit down first or something." Sasuke observes as he proceeds to do exactly that.

That's when he noticed the feast and pops open a bottle of the Firewhiskey. He pours himself a glass and takes a rather large gulp. There was no need to be completely sober on his wedding night.

"Thought you might like the Firewhiskey." Naruto says with a laugh as he sits behind Sasuke.

"Yeah. It's pretty good." Sasuke agrees with a smirk.

"Mhm." Naruto says as he pauses for a moment, unsure of how of what to do next.

He felt like he should warn Sasuke, but he didn't want to want to make him tense up. Maybe, it was better just to surprise him. Sasuke had agreed to become his Mate. So it shouldn't matter.

With that thought in mind, he places a series of soft kisses along the back of Sasuke's neck and over his pale throat. Sasuke sighs in pleasure and leans back against him. Naruto wasn't really sure why, but his boyfriend had always been really sensitive there. It was a major turn on though.

"Merlin, that feels good." Sasuke whispers.

"Good. It's supposed to. Just relax. You know that I love you, bastard." He says and Sasuke nods.

Apparently, a little necking was very relaxing. That or Sasuke just really trusted him. Maybe both.

Either way, something inside Naruto was purring with a dark contentment and he didn't think that it was necessarily Kurama. There was just something really erotic about seeing Sasuke bare his neck like that. The complete trust and even submission. (Though Naruto knew that Sasuke would hex him, if he ever mentioned that last part).

"I love you too, idiot." Sasuke mutters and then he gasps, when he feels Naruto's inhumanly sharp teeth sink into his skin.

It didn't hurt. Not exactly. It was more shocking than painful. That's when he feels something new race inside his veins. Pure, raw magic. Wild magic. Magic of the likes of which that Sasuke had never felt before, but it was all very Naruto and yet, not at the same time.

For some reason, he pictured blue and reddish orange magic racing through his system. The blue was wild and soothing. Loving. Naruto. The other was probably the Fox Spirit's. Wild and possessive. Protective in a strange way.

He could feel the power coursing through his veins. Marking him in a way that he couldn't really articulate. Well other than it felt good. Really, really _fucking_ good.

"Mine." Sasuke says simply as he turns around, after the blonde retracts his fangs.

Sasuke couldn't see it, but his eyes were no longer obsidian black. They were now ruby red and his formerly human teeth were now as sharp as any vampire's.

"Always." Naruto agrees as he watches Sasuke in what the Uchiha could only describe as awe.

The Slytherin liked that answer and quickly gets into the blonde's lap. At this point, he couldn't think of anything else. Nothing else, but Naruto. Of how much he wanted to bite the Gryffindor's neck and so, he acted on the impulse.

"Nhhh! Sasuke!" The Uchiha hears his new Mate moan in his ear.

It wasn't a moan of pain though. That was definitely the good kind of moan. The kind of moan that told Sasuke that their robes needed to come off as quickly as possible! He was rather tempted to just Incendio them off!

**Warning Lemon**

Naruto couldn't really describe it. The feeling of Sasuke's magic caressing his own was like fire. That was the closest that he could come to describing it.

A wonderful fire. It felt so good. It was like he had been freezing all his life and didn't even realize it. It made him moan with pleasure. It was impossible not to.

"Naruto, where is Aoda?" Sasuke asks.

Aoda?! Sasuke wanted to talk about the snake? He had to be kidding? How could he focus on anything other than how _incredible_ this felt?!

"He's sliding around in the pipes. Trying to sense if Kaguya's people show up sooner than planned. He won't be back for awhile. I made sure that he understood that we needed our privacy." Naruto tells him.

"Good. In that case, Accio clothes!" Sasuke says and with that, their clothes just pulled right off them.

Well that was a neat trick. Why hadn't Naruto thought of that? Oh right because Sasuke's Mating Mark was putting him on the verge of a magical orgasm. That was why!

"And you always said that I was the impatient one." Naruto says with a grin as he quickly attaches his lips to Sasuke's Mating Mark again and his hands start to explore that glorious ivory skin which had been hidden for far too long from him.

It was like the ancient marble statues, really. Everything was the same shade of moonlight pale, sleek, and sculpted. Merlin Bless Quidditch for giving his boyfriend this body.

"Mmm that was before you Marked me. You have no idea how good it feels. It's like my entire body is filled with magic. Your magic." Sasuke tells him as he runs his fingers through Naruto's golden tresses with one hand and the other snakes down his boyfriend's chest.

These muscles were nice. Sasuke was going to have a lot of fun exploring what those evil robes had been hiding from him for years. There was just one question though.

How were they actually going to do this? He definitely wanted to be with Naruto. It was just a matter of mechanics at this point. Who was going to take the reigns and who was going to be pampered?

"I know. I'm feeling the same thing and I can feel you. Inside my head. It's hard to explain. I just know that you're there." Naruto whispers, after deciding that Sasuke's neck was suitably covered in lovebites.

That was the nice thing about Sasuke's skin. It was so easy to mark up. Naruto liked that. He liked everyone knowing that the other wizard was **_his_**.

"Mmm yeah. I know what you mean. I think that it might be better for me to take the lead. At least at first. I've been reading up on this stuff." Sasuke tells him.

Naruto pauses as he considers that. He WANTED to be the one to do the actual Claiming, but Sasuke had a point. Who knew what the Uchiha had been reading about? That and Sasuke was older. So in a weird way it made sense.

"Alright. You can go first. Might as well save the best for last." Naruto says with a cheeky grin.

"You are SUCH a loser." Sasuke says and before Naruto can respond, he captures the blonde's lips in a heated kiss.

Merlin, Sasuke was a good kisser. Such a good kisser that the blonde was having a hard time remembering why he was upset with him in the first place. Oh who cared? As long as he kept doing that thing with his tongue, the Gryffindor would be a very happy wizard.

What made it even better was that Naruto could _feel_ Sasuke's excitement, alongside his own. He was like a tiger ready to pounce and well Sasuke was now pouncing. Almost before the blonde could blink, he was on his back.

"We're lucky. You know? Most people spend their entire lives trying to find the one they're meant to be with and we just found each other, right at the beginning." Sasuke whispers as he leaves a trail of kisses along Naruto's neck and over his muscular chest.

Oh yeah. Naruto was feeling very lucky. Said luck was flying south, rather quickly though. He wanted more than just seductive teasing. He needed more skin to skin contact.

That was why he grabs Sasuke by his backside with one hand and uses the other to grasp his almost lover into his own hand. Sasuke could make all the romantic declarations that he wanted. Naruto loved them, but it was hard to focus on such thing when he had a naked Uchiha on top of him.

"Yeah. We are. I can tell that you feel really _lucky_." Naruto teases him as he strokes Sasuke's arousal.

"N-aruto! That's not fighting fair!" Sasuke pants out lustfully as he bucks into the other man's hand.

Maybe, not. It was fun though. It looked like Sasuke really was human, after all. If you played with his wand, he'd lose control. Just like any other wizard.

Sasuke groans and bites his lower lip as he tries to control the wave of white hot lust that was currently racing throughout his entire body. Damn. Naruto.

He wanted to go slow. Sasuke wanted to make this special for him, but now he wasn't sure that he'd have that level of control. Wait. Speaking of control, they were missing something.

"Please tell me that you brought something." Sasuke purrs seductively in Naruto's ear as he nibbles on it.

"Yeah. Accio something!" Naruto says cheekily as a bottle of the necessary substance flies into his hand.

Thank goodness. Sasuke smirks in response and covers Naruto's chest in kisses and lovebites for a few moments to distract him, before coating his fingers in the lubrication with one hand and taking Naruto's arousal into his mouth.

He knew that Naruto was just as innocent as he was. That meant that he would need to be prepared. Knowing his lovable idiot, he'd tense up and make this harder than it had to be.

"Sasuke!" Naruto cries out in ecstasy as he tries to resist the impulse to slam into his Mate's wonderfully wicked mouth.

Naruto was _big_. At the moment, Sasuke could only fit about half of him in his mouth. Not that the blonde was complaining. As far as Sasuke could tell, his lover seemed more than satisfied about the current situation.

He tries to lick and nip the sensitive flesh as he sucks on it. Naruto lost it and his moans were music to Sasuke's ears. Yeah. He was definitely doing something right.

"Damn it! W-here did you learn how to do this?" Naruto pants out in bliss.

Oh the Restricted Section of the library had its benefits, Sasuke thinks in response to that question. Of course, his mouth was a little occupied. So he'd just have to answer Naruto's question later. For now through, he sucks as hard as he could and slides a single finger inside his new lover.

"You sneaky Sly-therin!" Naruto half growls in fury at not being warned and half moans in pleasure at the feeling of Sasuke's mouth wrapped around his cock in such a sinfully good way.

He couldn't believe that Sasuke would pull something like that. Well he could and he couldn't. He was a Slytherin after all. It felt odd to have a part of his boyfriend inside him, but the whole getting sucked off thing more than made up for it.

Naruto wasn't completely naïve. He knew that Sasuke was just trying to help him. He was trying to help him adjust and he appreciated it, but his body had yet to catch up with that idea. Well at least half of his body.

"You like it though. I can feel how much you like it." Sasuke whispers around Naruto's arousal cockily as he looks up at him with ruby red eyes.

Damn. That was hot. There was something really hot about seeing Sasuke suck on his cock and look at him with those gorgeous eyes.

Naruto wasn't even going to worry about the fact that they were currently red. No, the first part of that equation felt too good to worry about well anything. In his mind, everything was perfect.

"Well y-yeah! I mean what wizard doesn't like that?!" Naruto stammers out as Sasuke adds a second finger.

He could feel the other wizard trying to stretch him. Searching for something. Naruto wasn't sure what it was, until Sasuke brushes up against it and he moans.

"Found it." Sasuke says with a smirk as he sucks on Naruto's length harder and faster, while his fingers went to work.

"So fucking good!" Naruto practically snarls in pleasure as he spirals over the edge.

He couldn't stop his release, even if he tried. It was Sasuke's fault though. It was his fault for being so good with his mouth. He could just deal with the consequences.

"I can see that. Change of positions. You can sit in my lap now." Sasuke says slyly.

Sasuke actually thought that he was going to be able to move after all that? His mind and body were now a pile of rather contented goo. How the Bloody Hell was he supposed to move?!

"Just remember, you'll be the one screaming my name soon." Naruto says, after Sasuke slides his fingers out of him.

"Promises. Promises." Sasuke says with a smirk as the blonde slowly makes his way over to him.

Once Naruto was in his lap, Sasuke kisses him and runs his hands along the Gryffindor's back in an effort to soothe him. This was a big step and he knew that. He was pretty sure that Naruto did as well.

"Smartass." Naruto says as he kisses him.

"Better than a dumbass. Speaking of arses, you have a nice one." Sasuke and before the blonde could comment further, he coats his own arousal in more lubrication and slowly slides into his new lover.

"You really think s-O?! Sasuke! You really have to stop sneak attacking me like that!" Naruto says as he squirms at the sudden intrusion.

Naruto was really going to have to talk to Itachi about that whole foolish _little_ brother thing. Sasuke might have been younger, but he definitely wasn't little.

"Just relax. It'll feel good soon." Sasuke whispers hotly in his ear as he strokes Naruto and begins to move inside him.

He was completely full. Naruto had never been so full in all of his life before. At first, it was uncomfortable. It wasn't really painful exactly, but he knew that was because Sasuke had been smart about this. He had been careful.

Well that was before Sasuke hit that magical spot inside him that made Naruto moan. That felt good. Really, really good. Naruto wanted more of that feeling.

"Ri-ight there." He pants out as he kisses Sasuke possessively.

Sasuke returns the kiss eagerly and seduces the Gryffindor with his tongue. Naruto was so hot and tight. Sex was definitely better with a partner. Screw self-gratification. It was a poor substitute for this.

This amazing feeling. The feeling of being buried inside his lover and seeing Naruto writhe in ecstasy. Of seeing those gorgeous blue eyes clouded with desire and his golden locks go everywhere as Sasuke drove inside him again and again.

"Right here?" He purrs dangerously at his Mate.

Each time felt better. Each time drove him closer to well something. Something that he knew was going to be even more fantastic than this! Sasuke wasn't sure how that was possible because hearing Naruto moan like that was already pretty bloody fantastic to begin with!

"Yeah!" Naruto moans out desperately.

Sasuke had no problem doing exactly that. He could feel the warmth of Naruto's now sweaty skin against his own. He could hear every sexy moan. He would taste Naruto's desire for him in his kiss. This was bliss.

It felt even better though when Naruto began to move against him. Sasuke growlsl in pleasure at that discovery and slams into his new lover over and over again, wanting more of that feeling. Needing more of it.

"Close!" The blonde practically snarls in satisfaction.

There was no need for Naruto to elaborate. Sasuke knew exactly what he meant. One final thrust sent them both spiraling over the edge. They both came fast and hard.

"Wow." Sasuke pants out a few minutes later, when he manages to find a lifeboat in the sea of pleasure that he was still lost in.

"Y-Yeah. My turn now though." Naruto says and Sasuke blinks.

The Gryffindor didn't seriously think that he was ready for that so soon, did he? Then again, this was Naruto. The blonde was really stubborn. With that in mind, Sasuke slowly slides out of him.

"Are you sure that you're ready for this?" Sasuke asks, after giving Naruto a heated kiss.

"Bastard, I've been ready for this since like Fifth Year. You're such an evil bastard for making me wait this long. You know that, right?" Naruto asks and Sasuke just laughs.

"Sorry. We were kinda busy trying to save the world though." Sasuke reminds him.

Naruto nods. Well that was a good point. Still there was always time for Snogging and other _things._ Honestly, the Gryffindor had no idea how he was ever going to focus on studying for N.E.W.T.S. at this rate. He'd be far too tempted to just drag Sasuke back down to the Chamber of Secrets or make good use of the Room of Requirement.

"Yeah. I know. We definitely need to make time for this though. Go lean against the wall with your back towards me." Naruto orders him.

Sasuke shivers. He'd never heard Naruto get so bossy before. For some reason, it was kinda hot in a strange way. Not that he was ever going to it that.

"Alright." The Uchiha says as he heads towards the nearest wall and displays his back towards Naruto.

"Merlin, you're beautiful. You know that, right?" Naruto growls in appreciation.

That growl sounded more animalistic than human. Sasuke knew that he should have been terrified by that thought, but it only excited him more. Though he supposed that could just be the afterglow talking.

"Are you going to tell me how beautiful I am, like I'm some sort of witch all night or are you going to shag me?" Sasuke retorts cockily.

"Don't see why I can't do both. You're right though. You aren't beautiful like a witch. You're way prettier than that." The other wizard informs him as he walks over and gets behind Sasuke's back.

Sasuke was about to respond to that, when Naruto grabs his arousal and starts stroking him. Nevermind. He could live with being called beautiful. Just as long as Naruto didn't stop that.

"You're also hard again. I must drive you crazy, if you're already ready for another round this soon." Naruto observes as he lavishes Sasuke's shoulder and back with a series of hot kisses.

"You do drive me crazy." Sasuke admits.

He was glad that his back was towards Naruto now. The last thing that he needed was for his Mate to see him blushing. Sasuke wasn't entirely certain, if he was or not. Still it was better safe than sorry.

"Good. You drive me crazy too. I wouldn't have let anyone else do that to me. Just you." Naruto says as he strokes Sasuke with one hand and coats his fingers with the lubrication.

Naruto wanted to go slow. He didn't think that he'd be able to though. Sasuke just looked too hot standing against that wall, especially with his Mating Mark on his neck.

"Mmm I know. I feel the same way." Sasuke tells him and moans as the blonde strokes him faster and then squirms when Naruto slides a single digit inside him.

Damn. Sasuke was tight. Was this normal? Naruto doubted it. Maybe, that was why Sasuke was so uptight. He really was tight.

"How's it feel?" He asks in concern.

"A little odd. Doesn't really hurt though. I want to be with you. I'm not made of glass, Naruto. I can take it." Sasuke assures him.

Naruto smirks as he lavishes Sasuke's back with more kisses, caresses his arousal faster, and slips another finger inside him. That was Sasuke for you. He always had to act so tough.

"Alright. Tell me, if it hurts though." The blonde insists.

"I will. OH F-FUCK!" Sasuke suddenly moans out as the sapphire eyed wizard touches something inside him that made him almost dizzy with desire.

"Guess, I found your spot." The other man observes merrily as he stretches him for a few minutes.

Deciding that Sasuke was suitably prepared, Naruto buries himself inside his new lover. He'd never done this before. He'd never made love to someone while he was actually inside them before and it felt _amazing._

Naruto knew that word was a lame description of this sensation, but his mind had shut down. It just felt so fucking good to be inside Sasuke that words were failing him. All he knew was that this felt good and he wanted more of it.

"Just shut up and don't stop!" Sasuke hisses at him.

That was really hot. Bossy Sasuke was now Sexy Sasuke, Naruto decides as he begins to slowly move inside the other wizard. That felt even better. It was like they were made for each other. They fit together so perfectly.

He could feel their bodies pressed up against each other. The warmth of Sasuke's back and the curve of that fine arse. The feeling of his dark hair tinkling his nose and his scent. Sasuke smelled so damn good. It was like he was a bloody rainforest or something!

"Faster!" Sasuke pants out and the blonde was more than happy to comply.

He slams Sasuke against the wall, much to both of their delight. Every thrust elicited another wicked moan that heated his blood. Naruto could feel Sasuke's lust and that only added to his own. '

He knew that he probably should be more gentle with his gorgeous Mate. He couldn't though. Not when he was making those sounds and he felt so good. Sasuke didn't seem to mind the less than romantic pace though. The two were now moving as one.

"So good." Naruto growls lustfully into his ear as he moves in and out of the Sexy Slytherin who was currently pushed up so nicely against that wall.

This was the stuff that fantasies were made of. Naruto never thought that they would actually get around to this part. Well he supposed now that they had, they were together until death do they part.

"Just like that!" Sasuke pants out as he arches against him.

Merlin, Naruto was big. So this was what the blonde had felt when Sasuke took him. It was different than being the one in control, but it felt equally good. Just in a different way.

That was the last thought on Sasuke's mind, before Naruto bit down lightly on his Mating Mark. That made Sasuke lose it. He spiraled over the edge almost faster than he knew what was happening, but that was alright. Naruto joined him in that all consuming feeling of utter and complete ecstasy.

"We're definitely going to have to deal with this crazy witch fast. Then I'm going to chain your sexy arse down here until we have to come out for N.E.W.T.S." Naruto whispers hotly in his ear, before sliding out of him.

**End of Lemon**

"Mhm. We can kill the crazy witch and then come down here again. You're wrong about one thing though. I'm going to be the one to chain you up. Not the other way around." Sasuke says cockily.

"Mmm. We'll see about that, bastard. We'll see about that." Naruto says as he wraps his arms more tightly around his new Mate and enjoys the feeling of just being close to his most precious person.

They would deal with Kaguya soon enough. For right now, Naruto just wanted to focus on his Mate. His wonderfully sexy Mate.


	23. This isn't Funny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite the tenseness of situation, a few laughs are had as everyone prepares for the final battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. It will be framed from the Sorting Hat's and Madara's perspectives.

Three days later, Fredrick was in the Room of Requirement along with the rest of the D.A. To say the least, it was a good thing that it was a magical room. The Sorting Hat wasn't entirely certain that everyone would fit otherwise.

**"Uchiha, what the Bloody Hell happened to your neck?"** The Sorting Hat asks.

Instantly, he had five pairs of eyes on him. Madara, Fugaku, Mikoto, Itachi, and Sasuke. That was one big family. Though at the moment, it was Sasuke who interested him most.

"What are you talking about? There isn't anything on my neck." Mikoto says as she gingerly touches her neck.

"Nor on mine." Fugaku adds as he turns his gaze to Itachi.

The Sorting Hat couldn't help, but chuckle at that reaction. It was likely that the Uchiha Patriarch assumed his eldest son's boyfriend got a little overly frisky. After all, Kisame had those formidable looking teeth.

"It wasn't me either." Itachi says as he raises his hands defensively.

Madara shakes his head. Obviously, he had figured out which Uchiha the Sorting Hat meant by the process of elimination. He was clever like that.

"I believe that Fredrick means the boy." He mutters under his breath.

Fredrick smirks when he sees the Uchiha Boy look more than a little panicked. Naruto was a different story though. He looked positively smug. That could mean only one thing. The past few days, those two had snuck off to have their Honeymoon.

"Yeah. Well you guys know about the Nine Tails. So there's this thing called Mating. It's the demonic version of a marriage. Basically you bite each other's neck and inject some of your own magic into them. It creates a Mark on their neck and that binds you together." Naruto explains happily.

"Naruto, when did you get so good at summarizing?" Gaara asks dryly.

"Hey! Back off! This is serious stuff and I still wanna know what you said to Hinata!" The sapphire eyed wizard exclaims.

Fredrick chuckles when he sees Gaara roll his eyes. Everyone's favorite little psycho was all grown up now. In the old days, the Druid probably would have thrown Naruto against the wall with his sand or slugged him. Not today though.

"That's private, you idiot!" The Slytherin snarls at him.

"Guys! Guys! We shouldn't be fighting. Kaguya's Army could be here any minute!" Hinata stammers out nervously, her face a brilliant shade of red.

The Sorting Hat couldn't help, but wonder what the little Druid had said to the Hyuga Princess. Hmm. He could see why Naruto was so curious now.

"She's right!" Karin and Sakura chorus together.

"You know that's pretty creepy. I've heard of finishing each other's sentences before. This is a whole new level of weird though. The two of you are actually saying the same exact things in real time. That's freaky." Suigetsu cheerfully observes.

Fredrick shakes his head in amusement. Oh this was going to be good. That boy had no sense of self-preservation.

"Freaky?! You're the one calling us freaky?! Oh that's a laugh!" Karin growls at him.

Sasuke shakes his head and walks over to his family. It was apparent what the young wizard was doing. He was showing them his Mark.

"So you decided to sneak off without telling us to demonically marry your boyfriend and now instead of a wedding ring, you have this Mark?" Itachi asks in amusement.

"Yeah. I guess you could say that." Sasuke says as he braces himself for his family's reaction.

The Mark was actually rather aesthetically pleasing. It was a series of elegant orange spirals that sprawled across his neck in something that almost resembled a patterned, but somehow retained its wildness.

"Normally, we would scold you for eloping. Though I suppose the fact that you have known him since you were a baby, does grant you some leniency. It's not as though it was truly a spur of the moment thing." Fugaku says with a groan.

"Naruto Uzumaki! Come over here, right now!" Kushina demands.

The Hat could only laugh as the blonde slowly made his way over to his mother. It seemed that a host to the Nine Tails would tremble before the power of an angry mother. Some things were truly universal.

"Uchihas are a possessive lot. Sasuke appears to have gotten orange spirals. Naruto got the Uchiha Crest on his neck." Minato points out with undisguised mirth at the entire situation.

"Minato, this isn't funny! Your son went off and got demonically married! We have no idea what this will really mean for any of them!" The red head shrieks.

That's when Fredrick notices Kisame shaking his head. This should prove most entertaining. One never knew what was going to come out of that Slytherin's mouth.

"They already went and did it. So yelling at them isn't going to change anything. Grow the Hell up. We got a War to fight. You can ground them for life later!" The blue skinned wizard says.

Hmm. That was actually rather accurate. Fredrick had to admit that he was surprisingly proud of Kisame. The man had decided to be the adult in the room.

"What about the Basilisk? If it accidentally looks at the children's eyes, it won't end well? Did anyone get those glasses made?" Temari asks anxiously.

"What a drag. What kind of idiot, do you take me for. Shino and I have been working on these for the past three days. They'll work." Shikamaru says as he heads over to one of the corners in the Room of Requirement and slowly begins to drag a pair of sunglasses that were almost as big as he was out.

Well that was pretty cool. The Sorting Hat couldn't lie. He almost felt jealous of the damn snake.

"Wicked! Now the snake can fight without us all dying. Yeah?!" Deidara exclaims happily.

They were truly an eccentric bunch, he thinks to himself. Almost every personality type that you could imagine was represented in this room. It was strange, but the new generation made the Golden Generation seem almost _normal_.

"Good work. Well everyone has been informed of what they'll be doing for the fight. Are you all ready for this?" Harry asks.

That was a dumb question. Fredrick highly doubted that anyone was ever truly ready to go up against an army of Giants, Veelas, Leprechauns, and Dark Witches and Wizards. He supposed that Harry had to ask it though.

"We're as ready as we're ever going to be." Konan says and Pain nods his head in agreement.

"The Power of Youth! Shall see us through this day!" Lee shouts determinedly.

"Hey! What are we going to do about me?" Hidan demands.

It was obvious that the Slytherin wasn't too keen on the idea of sitting out the fight. Unfortunately, they had no choice. He was under Kaguya's spell. There was no telling when she might turn the foulmouthed man against them.

"You're going with the Children's Group. Sorry, I know that you aren't happy about it. At least this way though, you might not have to face the Nargles." Luna assures him cheerfully.

"What the bloody Hell are Nargles?!" Draco demands.

All the members of the Golden Generation, except for Luna shrug. It seemed that absolutely no one else knew what those things were. Neither did the Hat for that matter, but he had more important things to focus on at the moment!

**"It doesn't bloody matter. Everyone, divide into your respective groups. We've got a world to save!"** Fredrick reminds them.

That's when the groups formed. In the Protector's Group, there was the Hat, Hidan, Luna, Ron, Mikoto, Sasuke, Neji, and Jugo. Not to mention, they had a bloody giant snake and another two hundred people who weren't members of the D.A. In the Hat's mind, the children were definitely going to be safe.

Everyone else was going to be in the Active Combatants Group. Well at least that's what Fredrick thought. Naruto seemed to have another idea in mind.

"I'm going with the Protector's. I'm not going to leave Sasuke alone." He states firmly.

"Look, that's very romantic and everything. We need your firepower though!" Kiba snaps at him.

That was the wrong thing to say. Naruto suddenly turns around and storms over to Kiba. For a moment or two, Fredrick was actually in fear for the Inuzuka's life.

"Kiba, stop it. If the tide of the battle turns unfavorably, Naruto can always join the Active Combatant Group later on." Kakuzu points out.

Ah. Good. The Sorting Hat had been wondering, if that little mercenary was actually going to say something.

"We don't have time for this! We need to head off. This is war. People die. It's not time for fun and games!" George reminds them.

That did the trick. A hush suddenly fell over the entire group. The reminder of what was at stake was far more powerful than any Silencing Charm could ever have been.

"George is right." Ginny whispers as Harry places a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Yes. He is. Now let's go." Hermione says and with that, the two groups split off.

The moment of truth was fast approaching them. Had they mustered a suitable enough defense to defeat the army? The Sorting Hat didn't know and that was a terrifying thought.

"Do you really think that Choji and Haku should have been in the fighting group? What about Hinata?" Naruto whispers to Sasuke.

"They're tougher than they look. Hinata isn't actually an active combatant though. She's going with Itachi and some others who know about healing to the infirmary. We're going to need them by the time that this is over." Sasuke whispers back.

The Sorting Hat sighs and nods. That was most definitely true. Things were about to get really messy.

* * *

Meanwhile Madara was directing the troops. He had them scattered all evenly around the castle. That would force the Death Eaters to fight them on their terms and wouldn't allow them to overwhelm them with numbers.

"Oh right. They aren't Death Eaters. They are Predators. Different Era." He mutters under his breath.

"I should chastise you for all this. If you hadn't helped her, none of this would be happening. That wouldn't be fair though. This witch is clearly demented and she has been planning on this for a long time." Naori says with a sigh.

Madara could only rub the back of his head sheepishly in response. He didn't really know what else he could possibly say to that. His wife was right and that was that.

"It doesn't matter whose fault it is. What matters is if we can finish it." Sasori states.

"I always knew that there was a reason why I liked that kid. He's so practical." Fugaku comments.

That was good. They were going to need at least some practical witches and wizards, if they were going to win this battle. They would also need reckless ones though and Madara was sure, that's where Naruto would eventually come in.

"Well I haven't gotten to do this one in awhile. YOU MUST DEFEND THE SCHOOL! DO YOUR DUTY! ONWARD! ONWARD!" Minerva calls out as she animates the statues and sends them out onto the grounds.

Well that was always a classic. Madara smirks as he watches the statues head off. The Old Bird still had it.

"How long do you think the Shield Charm will hold up around the school?" Tenten asks a little nervously.

"It's hard to say really. It held for awhile last time, but eventually it will fall. With the type of numbers this woman has been gathering, it will fall. I know that much." Madara says with a sigh.

"We can take them!" Ino says confidently.

Madara wished that he could share her confidence. Unfortunately, he had helped Kaguya gather her army. The wizard knew exactly what they were up against and the others didn't.

"I don't want to lie. There is a good chance that we might very well lose some people in this impending fight." He warns them.

"We're aware of that. No true victory was ever won without any losses." Shino says resolutely.

"Good. I'm glad that you all understand what is about to happen. War isn't a game." The oldest Uchiha says.

It was a good thing that they had some members of the Golden Generation here. They knew what it meant to fight. Hopefully, "the kids" would catch on soon enough.

At the very least, he knew his wife. His wife was damn good with a wand. The apple wood wand that he had made her all those years ago would definitely serve her well in this battle.

"THEY'RE HERE!" Zetsu cries out as he points out the window.

True enough, Madara could see them coming. They must have numbered in the thousands. Witches, Wizards, Giants, Leprechauns, and Veelas were all marching onto the Grounds of Hogwarts.

"And so it begins." Madara whispers as he holds his wife's hand.

* * *

Meanwhile the Hat watches as Sasuke very carefully places the Sunglasses as Aoda's head. This was a rather awkward endeavor because they both had their eyes shut. Neither the Basilisk or the human wanted to risk having their eyes accidentally come open during this process.

**"There are moments when I briefly contemplate that I should have put him in Gryffindor."** Fredrick comments.

"You should have! That would have made things so much easier!" Naruto growls at him.

**"His ambition and cunning outweighs his bravery though. I think that we both know that."** The Hat continues and he smirks as Naruto twitches.

The poor frustrated fox. He was just mad because the two of them had to make an effort to slip off for some snogging and apparently, Mating. Oh well. They certainly weren't the first pair of lovers who came from different Houses and they wouldn't be the last.

"They're on!" Jugo informs Aoda once Sasuke had placed the glasses on the Basilisk.

"Good. That will make things much easier." Sasuke says as he jumps off the snake and Naruto catches him.

"You're bloody crazy. You know that, right? What would you have done, if I didn't catch you in time?" Naruto demands.

Sasuke smiles in response and kisses the blonde's cheek. That was when Fredrick knew that the Uchiha was either going to say something really sweet or something that was going to make the blonde want to hex him. He knew that it was going to be interesting to find out which.

"I knew that you would catch me because I love you. We're Mates." Sasuke says simply as he wiggles out of Naruto's hold and smiles up at Aoda.

_"Ah yes. This is much better. Thank you!"_ Aoda says smugly.

Was it Fredrick's imagination or was the giant snake actually strutting? No. Upon further inspection, he was almost certain that was indeed the case. Hmm. Who knew that snakes could be so smug?

"That's very romantic and everything, but I do believe that I just heard screaming. The war has begun." Neji says.

That's when the Sorting Hat used a spell to make the walls transparent to him in one small spot. He then made the mistake of looking outside to see what was going on.

**"It looks like the Shields are holding for now, but the Predators have arrived."** He whispers in a terrified voice.

This was possibly even worse than the original Battle of Hogwarts. There had to be thousands of them. Kaguya had assembled herself quite the army to say the least.

"How many are there?" Ron dares himself to ask.

**"Thousands, Mr. Weasley. Thousands. I'm not going to waste time doing an exact headcount. We can only hope that the statues will be able to reduce their number substantially before they break in."** Fredrick answers him.

"There's a chance that the Shields might hold though." Luna points out hopefully.

Yes, there was a chance that the Shields might hold. There was also a chance that he might be transfigured into a tiara! Neither of which were very bloody likely, but in theory they were possible!

**"I find that possibility highly unlikely. We need to be prepared for the worst."** Fredrick replies.

* * *

Back with the Active Combat Group, Madara watches out the window as the statues charge towards the oncoming army. He knew that the statues alone weren't going to be sufficient, but they might be able to at least put a dent in their numbers.

"I know what you're thinking. I shall have some of the older students shoot spells down from the roof, when the barrier breaks. That will offer them some small measure of protection and thin the herd slightly." The Headmistress says.

"Good thinking." Madara agrees as he watches a statue try to shove its sword into the belly of a giant.

He couldn't help, but feel a bit sorry for the poor creature. It bellowed in pain and then swatted the attacking collection of metal away as if it was just an annoying flea. Still it had been injured.

The giant in question was clutching its belly. It was something of a relief to see that. The giants could be beaten. They were the brute force of the army. That didn't necessarily mean that their more magical counterparts could be dealt with as "easily" though. (Privately, he knew that saying it was easy to deal with a giant was a stretch, but he digressed).

"The Leprechauns are going to be an issue. Their magic is more wild than anything. We may need to ask the House Elves for help." Minato suggests.

Madara frowns. Normally, he would think such a thing was crazy. Well that was until he saw the leprechauns using rainbows against the Shields as if they were battering rams. On second thought, desperate times called for desperate measures.

"I'll go and get the elves." Naori volunteers.

He loved her deeply, but the woman was mad! She was mad, if she really thought that Madara was going to let her out of his sight during this fight!

"No. Stay here, My Love. We can send Lee to get them. The boy is fast." He offers.

"I can do it! Don't worry about anything! The Power of Youth is on our side!" The energetic Hufflepuff says as he takes off.

"If that idiot says one more thing about the Bloody Power of Youth, I am going to Sand Coffin him!" Gaara grumbles.

Madara shakes his head in amusement and then smiles when he sees the Hyuga Girl place her hand on Gaara's cheek comfortingly. It was no wonder why the red head hated him so. He had put his girlfriend under an Unforgivable Curse. Such a reaction, was only natural.

"Gaara." Hinata says soothingly.

"Yes, yes. I know. His heart is in the right place, but he's just so damn annoying." The Druid mutters.

"I have to admit that Red has a point there." Suigetsu says.

The Veela were now also taking shots at the Shield. Once they started, the Witches and Wizards began to do the same. Really, it would have been quite beautiful. It would have been quite beautiful, if they weren't all trying to take over the world.

The colorful and loud magical display was rather inspiring. He hadn't seen such a striking combination of magic since the Graduation Celebration that the New Generation had done years ago. Unfortunately, this was war. There was no time to appreciate such things.

"The Shield won't hold long with that kind of display. I think that it's time to get the students into place for the Archery Spells when it falls." Harry says.

Madara couldn't disagree with that. He uses a spell to give the order. A spell that would magnify his voice.

If nothing else, this generation was good at obeying orders during the middle of a war. He just hoped that they all lived long enough to find out what else they were good at. They would, if he got a say in the matter though.

"My Love, I truly am sorry about all of this." He whispers to Naori.

"I know that you are. You did what you thought was right. Let's try to both make it out alive this time. It would be such a waste to have you go through all that trouble, only for one of us to die." His wife replies.

"No one is going to die today! Tsunade is at the ready in the Infirmary, but you have me and Orochimaru here!" Jirayia says as he and the sullen wizard stride over to them.

That was surprisingly cheerful, given the circumstances. Despite everything, Madara found himself smiling. It was difficult not to. The man's optimism was contagious.

"That is most excellent news." He says with a smile.

"You also have us." Rin states as she heads over with Kakashi and Obito.

Good. It seemed that everyone was ready for battle. This would be the one to truly decide everything. If Hogwarts could fall, everywhere else would follow.

Hogwarts more than just a school. It was also a symbol. A symbol of the magical community as a whole and the source of quite a lot of magic. They had possibly the largest gathering of witches and wizards in one place, save for the Quidditch World Cup. There would never be another chance like this.

"And don't forget me. I might be old now, but Minerva gave me a wand to borrow for the occasion!" Hagrid says with a grin.

Well that was fitting. They were going up against Giants and now had a Half-Giant fighting for them. That might balance things out slightly.

"Always happy to have an extra caster on our side." Madara says with a smile and that's when he hears two rather loud squawks.

He blinks and looks up. Garuda and Fawkes. It was that damn Eagle Owl and a Phoenix!

"Well hopefully the bloody bird doesn't tear off half my face this time." Madara grumbles to himself as he readies his wand for the final battle.


	24. The War Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one is safe as the final battle begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. This chapter will be narrated from Madara's Perspective. Oh and there are no scene breaks in this chapter. Happy reading.
> 
> Chapter's Notations and Warnings: There will most likely be two Battle Chapters. There will be a lot of supporting character deaths. Warnings will be put up before and after those scenes. So if that sort of thing upsets you, you can skip them. Anyway, let the battle begin!

"Now, I've seen everything. Blimey, I never thought that that I'd see the day when Leprechauns and House Elves faced off." Hagrid observes in wonder, a few minutes later.

The House Elves had been successfully recruited and were standing at the ready. Madara was rather surprised, but it looked like the little buggers were eager to fight. Some of them had even been given wands.

"Have any of you actually used wands before?" Minato asks one of the House Elves as he stares out the window.

"Most of us haven't, but we'll figure it out! We're House Elves. We do what we told. That and if witches and wizards can do it, we can do it!" A rather cheerful blue skinned elf with eyes the color of a tennis ball says.

That wasn't particularly reassuring. The House Elves might be better off relying on their own magic, the Uchiha thinks to himself. Still he would rather have everyone that could be armed, armed.

"The Shield has begun to shake. There's too much magic being hurled at it to hold!" Gaara warns the others.

"Not good. I'll slow them down. Wands at the ready. Get as many shots in as you can beforehand." Madara states.

"Wait. What are you going to do?" Kiba demands as he stands next to his girlfriend.

Madara shakes his head. This new generation really needed to learn to respect their elders more. The Inuzuka clearly didn't fully understand who he was.

"Believe me when I say if there is one thing that my husband is good at, it's wielding his wand." Naori says with a quiet laugh.

"Well damn. It sounds like it was a happy Honeymoon. Congratulations." Jiraiya says as he roars with laughter and Madara merely rolls his eyes.

He appreciated a good dirty joke as much as the next bloke. Now, really wasn't the time though. Now, they had to defend the school or die trying.

The Uchiha was about to issue a witty retort when it happened. The shield broke down and the Predators all came charging towards them. He could hear various spells, hexes, and curses being thrown towards the door.

"USE THE TREES! YOU IDIOTS! USE THE TREES!" Madara hears an all too familiar voice call out in the distance.

"Tehehe. Accio trees! Accio trees!" Came the laughter of what the wizard could only presume were leprechauns.

That's when he watches in horror as some trees were torn right out of the ground by the spell and the giants pick them up. Damn int. They were going to use the trees as battering rams!

"Everyone ready?!" Madara calls out and there were shouts of confirmation.

_CRACK! SMASH! CRUNCH!_ The improvised battering rams had done their job. The first Predators that made it through were about a half dozen Giants who had been breaking down the door.

"Arresto Momentum!" Madara thunders out as he hurls the spell at the Giants.

The spell would slow the giants down. He could only hope that it would slow the massive creatures down just enough for his comrades to issue their own spells. Thankfully, his wife was already on the case.

"Confundo!" Naori screams as she hurls a series of Confundus Charms at the giants.

"Good thinking, My Love!" Madara praises her as he takes several steps back.

The first Giants were rather confused now. They were stumbling all over themselves. This wasn't good. The Giants could fall on them and that would be the end of them.

" _Confringo_!" Ino screams the Giants.

It wasn't a bad decision. The Blasting Curse could do a lot of damage, but the little witch couldn't get enough fatal power in that curse to kill the one she was aiming for.

**Warning Death Scene**

The Giant roars in pain and confusion as he swings his club. The creature swings his mighty club and it makes contact with Ino. The impact sends her flying back against a wall, cracking her skull instantly.

"Ino!" Kiba cries out in horror as the sees the beautiful witch's body slide down the wall.

The wall which was now stained red. Red with the witch's blood where her head had hit it. She would never rise again.

"I'm truly sorry." Madara whispers to the dog lover.

It was too late though. The Gryffindor was utterly incensed. Madara wasn't sure when the boy had become an Animagus, but apparently he had.

In almost no time at all, the grieving wizard had transformed himself into a massive wolf. A massive wolf who was now lunging at the giant furiously.

"Oh Dear God." Konan whispers as she stares at the mad wolf going after the giant who had killed Ino.

Kiba had lost his mind. He was now a demon of complete and utter fury. Normally, a wolf would never be able to kill a giant, but the beast's teeth were sinking into the Giant's flesh, slashing and tearing out pieces.

The giant slowly goes into shock and falls over onto the ground. It was bleeding to death. Madara felt strangely proud of the boy for avenging his girlfriend, but he knew that Kiba would never be the same. Not after this.

**End of Death Scene**

"Kiba!" Sakura calls out to him as she stands next to her girlfriend.

"Sakura! Don't! He's too far gone. He's lost himself. The wolf is in control now." Karin tells her.

That was one way to put it. Unfortunately, the Gryffindor Wolf Animagus wouldn't have much time to mourn Ino. More and more Predators were now pouring in.

"We're got company! Arresto Momentum! Arresto Momentum! Arresto Momentum!" He thunders out over and over again.

There were simply too many of them. He couldn't slow them all down at once, but he could slow some of them down. He wasn't going to let it happen again. He wasn't going to lose her again!

" _Ascendio_!" Hermione chants as she lifts about six or so Leprechauns into the air with a spell and then releases it.

Madara wasn't sure whether the Leprechauns had died or merely been knocked out. It didn't really matter though. For now, those ones were out for the count. They still had thousands more to go.

"What a drag! There are too many of them! AVIS! Oppugno!" Shikamaru bellows out as he conjures hundreds of owls and directs them to attack the Predators that were closest to him.

"Avada Kedavra!" A Veeela snarls at Shikamaru as his back was turned.

"Shikamaru! No! STUPEFY!" Sasori screams as he casts the Stunning Spell at the Veela and shoves the other Ravenclaw out of the way.

**Warning Death Scene**

The wizard manages to save Shikamaru from getting struck by the Killing Curse and stun the Veela in question. He wasn't fast enough to save himself though. The green magic struck its target.

Madara's eyes widen in terror as he watches the red head suddenly slump against the ground. The man might have been a Ravenclaw, but he had died a Gryffindor. In the end, Sasori had chosen to save his friend at the cost of his own life.

"Sasori!" Shikamaru calls out to him desperately as he checks for a pulse.

It was far too late for that though. The Killing Curse was something that couldn't be undone. Tragically, there was still a battle to be won.

**End Death Scene**

"I'm sorry for your loss, but we need to keep fighting!" Madara says.

Sasori had had sacrificed himself to save Shikamaru from the Killing Curse. He had taken the Curse meant for the other Ravenclaw and the Uchiha wasn't going to let the man die in vein. They still had to win this fight.

"Shikamaru! We have to focus! He would have wanted you to fight!" Temari says and suddenly the witch doubles over in pain.

A serious of wicked looking, dark red welts was now forming on her beautiful skin. A Leprechaun had hurled a Stinging Jinx at the witch. Shikamaru could only see red at that moment. Madara knew exactly what the boy was feeling.

Unfortunately, it was too much for the boy. He had just seen his friend die to save him and now some bloody Leprechaun had attacked his girlfriend. That was why the following Curse left his mouth before he even knew what he was really saying.

"Crucio!" He growls as the spell designed to inflict unimaginable agony plunges straight towards the Leprechaun.

It didn't take long for the Leprechaun to fall over to the ground. He was screaming in agony, but Shikamaru didn't seem to care. As far as Madara could tell, the boy was glad the beast was suffering.

"Are you alright?" The Ravenclaw asks his girlfriend.

"I think so." Temari whispers as she watches in revulsion while the Irish Creature writhes around in pain.

The battle was raging. Spells, hexes, curses, words, fists, and weapons were flying. Hell in some cases, even body parts were flying. Madara blinks when he sees a blue ear go whizzing past him.

"Hey! That wasn't very nice. I can't believe that you hurled a Severing Charm at my buddy. Tell me, girls. Do you know how to swim?!" Suigetsu asks venomously at a group of Veelas.

One of the Veelas had hurled a Severing Charm at Kisame. Madara really sure which one, but the blue skinned Akatsuki was now clutching the place where his ear used to be and he was bleeding badly.

"Aguamenti!" The white haired wizard roars at them.

The Veelas had foolishly made the mistake of opening their mouths to answer him. That's when Suigetsu used a water spell and aimed the torrent of water that was now gushing from his wand at the their mouths. The water poured right down their throats.

The Veelas were now sputtering and trying not to be drowned internally, but apparently Kisame wanted some revenge. He smirks and whips out his wand.

"Diminuendo!" The Akatsuki Member thunders out.

The spell shrinks the beauties until they were only a few inches tall. Now, they were far too small to be of any real threat. Madara could only assume at some point, they would be squashed to death.

"Good work!" The Uchiha states as he looks around scanning the scene.

"Draconifors!" Minato shouts as he transforms a portrait into a dragon and sicks it on some of the giants.

That only made some of them panic. They start to swing their clubs around wildly. Minato was at the wrong place, at the wrong time. One of the clubs comes smashing down on his arm.

"AHHHH!" He screams in pain.

"Get away from my husband! Everte Statum!" Kushina bellows out.

The spell in question threw the giants backwards. They smacked up against the wall. Unlike Ino, they weren't killed instantly. Though Madara was fairly sure that they would be unconscious for as good, long while.

"Minato! Are you alright?" Kushina asks.

"My arm is probably shattered. I need to go to the Infirmary. I can use wandless magic, if I have to. Still I assume that they will need some help with protecting the other injured." The blonde says and with that, the husband and wife quickly head off.

"Deidara! You like explosions, right?" Madara asks the eccentric wizard.

He knew that was a foolish question. The other wizard loved explosions. It was all that he ever talked about.

"Yeah! You want to make some explosions with me?! We can make everything go boom and be nice and pretty! Yeah?!" The Gryffindor inquires.

"You read my mind. Throw the strongest _Bombarda Maxima_ , that you have at that group of giants over there." Madara instructs.

Just like that, the two wizard combined explosion spells. The giants didn't know what hit them. They were torn to bits and well, their bits flew everywhere.

"That is absolutely disgusting!" Kakuzu says as he throws some Expelliarmuses at a group of Dark Witches and Wizards.

The Disarming Charm did the trick. Well for most of them. There was one Dark Witch who still had her wand and with that, Kakuzu's fate was sealed.

**Warning Death Scene**

"Stupefy!" She screams at him, tossing a Stunning Spell at the man.

The spell hit its mark. His heart. The Slytherin's heart wasn't designed for such abuse. No one's was, really.

"Damn bitch!" Those were the last words that Kakuzu would ever speak because he falls over, the heart attack killing him almost instantly.

**End Death Scene**

"Haku, can you give me some cover?" Pain asks the younger man.

Another of their classmates had just died. Kakuzu was gone now and Madara knew that Pain now fully understood what war was. War was Hell.

"Of course! Fumos!" Haku calls out and Madara smirks.

That was a clever move. The spell would create a cloud of smoke and give Pain some cover. Though he wasn't entirely sure what the other wizard was planning.

"Locomotor Wibbly!" Pain thunders out and Madara's smirk only continues to grow.

He was a very clever boy indeed. That spell was known as the Jelly-Legs Curse. It made a victim's legs collapse underneath them. Once they were down, well it was unlikely they were going to get back up before your next attack was launched.

"Lumos Maxima!" A Dark Wizard chants as a bright light is aimed straight at Pain's eyes.

Madara knew that he would have to move quickly. The boy was a goner, once he was temporarily blinded. Without thinking about it much, he hurls a powerful fire spell at the Predator.

"Incendio Tria!" The Uchiha bellows out.

It was essentially Incendio on steroids. One of the most powerful variations of a fire spell that the man knew. It was also highly effective at scaring the Hell out of the wizard.

The wizard runs away in terror and Zetsu casts a Stunning Spell on them. Well that did the trick. Excellent teamwork!

" _Mobilicorpus_!" Draco thunders out as he sends out his own spell.

The spell was designed to move bodies and it moved them. It moved a large group of Leprechauns straight into the wall. The ones who weren't killed on impact now had to contend with an army of House Elves.

Madara couldn't even decipher what spells the elves were using. He supposed that it might just be raw magic that they were channeling. There might not even be any spells.

"BAD LEPRECHAUNS! BAD! ELVES DEFEND OUR HOME!" One of the little demons snarls as he lunges at Leprechaun and aims a spell at it.

The spell actually decapitated the poor thing. Madara felt a moment of pity for the creature, but it didn't last long. They were still in the middle of a war, after all.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Zetsu calls off somewhere in the distance.

**Warning Death Scene**

A Full-Body Bind Curse. Clever. Unfortunately, it wasn't clever enough. As Zetsu was trying to help a fifth year witch, a Giant snuck up behind him. The giant slammed his club down on the Hufflepuffs head and knocked it clear off!

"Zetsu!" Kankuro cries out in terror and fury!

Madara mentally winces at the loss of another of their army. This wasn't good. The causalities were mounting. They were going to need to do something drastic soon.

"Reducto!" The Hufflepuff snarls out as he aims a curse at the Giant with enough fury that the creature actually disintegrates!

**End of Death Scene**

"Well that was very impressive." Madara marvels.

It was a shame that another child had to die. Well Zetsu hadn't really been a child. He had graduated Hogwarts a few years back, but Madara digressed. This victory was going to come at a heavy cost.

"Don't worry! The Power of Youth will save the day! Protego Maxima!" Lee calls out happily.

"Will you just bloody shut up with that Power of Youth nonsense?!" The red head hisses at his classmate.

Unfortunately for Lee, he had cast the spell on some of his comrades. Not on himself. That's when a Veela aims a Severing Charm at him. The wizard howls in pain as one of his fingers gets sliced off.

Well at least it wasn't the boy's dominant hand, but that looked extremely painful. Madara winces at the sight.

"Lee! Look out!" Ginny calls out in desperation, but it was too late.

The boy's finger was already gone. The red head was too distracted to notice that a Dark Witch was readying her own wand. Before anyone could do anything, the spell was cast.

"Sectumsempra!" The Predator chants as the wife of Harry Potter falls down.

A series of large cuts appeared along her body. They were bleeding profusely. The witch was going to need medical attention, if she was going to survive.

"Ginny!" Harry, George, and Percy call out at the sight of the bleeding wtich.

Percy had been amongst the hundreds or thousands of people who had come to Hogwarts when it became clear that something strange was going on. The other red head quickly rushes over to help his sister. He was trying to pick her up in his arms when another spell struck him in the back.

**Warning Death Scene**

"Avada Kedavra!" A Leprechaun says as the all too familiar Killing Curse struck its mark.

"I l-love you." Percy manages to utter just before the light completely fades from his eyes and his body falls slack against his sister.

"PERCY!" George calls out desperately and Madara knew what was on the other man's mind at that moment.

He had lost another brother and potentially a sister. It was too much for the man. He starts hurling out Bombarda Maximas like a man completely possessed. The explosions could seen everywhere.

Explosions of body parts and blood flying all over the place. It was a truly gruesome scene. He was so mad in his grief and so desperate to save his sister, that he never saw his own demise coming.

"Adada Kedavra!" A feminine voice chants and the spell flies towards George.

It flew too fast for anyone to do anything about it. The last Weasely Twin slumps over and Madara was sure that he heard the man mutter something that sounded like, _"Fred!"_

**End of Death Scene**

George Weasley died with a smile on his face. Madara could only assume that he was going to a better place. As for Percy Weasely, he had died trying to protect his sister. So there must have been some redeeming features in the man, after all.

"Get her help!" Harry calls out.

"We'll get her to the Infirmary!" Jiraiya assures Harry as he and Orochimaru pick up the badly bleeding witch.

Ginny had likely already gone into shock. Both from the blood loss and the loss of two of her brothers. The poor girl was going to be beside herself, when this was all over.

"We'll clear a path!" Rin promises as she sends out a volley of Stunning Spells at anyone who came near the Trio.

"Yes, we will! Ventus Duo!" Kakashi bellows.

The spell causes a powerful gust of wind to blow people who were coming towards them away. It was a more powerful form of Ventus. Madara was quite impressed, really.

"Vulnera Sanentur!" Obito says as he aims a spell at Ginny.

Madara recognized that spell. It was one designed to heal serious injuries and to return the blood spilled from, back to their owner. Sadly, Obito was not a Healer. His execution of the spell was far from perfect.

Despite that, the elder Uchiha Wizard could see a marked improvement in the red head's injuries as she was carted off. The injuries had mostly healed up, but the blood hadn't returned back into her body. She was going to need an experienced Healer to help her.

" _Expulso_!" Minerva thunders out as she sends several explosions at a band of Leprechauns that was closing in on her.

Not to be outdone, the animals were even chipping in. Fawkes and Garuda slash at the faces of some Predators. It was clear that Predators were trying to fight back though.

Madara saw more than one singed feather and gash on the poor things. There was also a cat that was flitting about and scratching every Predator in its sight. That and for some strange reason, a toad was using its abnormally long tongue to try to trip people with some success.

"Gaara!" Hinata whispers to him.

"Yes, Hinata?" The Druid asks his girlfriend.

"You need to use your sand. I'll use my Patronous to buy us some time for you to do it. It's the only way to deal with this many people." Hinata whispers.

Well they thought they were whispering. Madara heard it all. Ah good. The witch was good for the little Druid. It was important for people to embrace their gifts.

"Expecto Patronum!" Hinata screams as her Patronous takes shape and races around the room, distracting people.

"SAND BURRIAL!" Gaara snarls out as sand comes flooding into the room, seemingly out of nowhere.

Madara had never seen so much sand in his entire life. It was everywhere and apparently, the Slytherin could direct it. He could direct it towards their enemies. Thankfully, roughly half of them had either been killed or injured. So the red head was lucky enough to be dealing with a herd that had been thinned somewhat already.

"That's brilliant, Gaara! Absolutely brilliant." Madara praises him.

"Oh shut up! I still hate you for what you did to Hinata. If you don't win this damn war, you're next." The Druid growls at him menacingly.

"You do have such a way with children, My Love." Naori giggles.

Madara shrugs. Yes, he supposed he did. Uh oh. That's when he notices something rather disturbing.

There weren't nearly as many Predators as there were in the beginning. He knew that some had been injured or killed. That was to be expected. Others were currently caught up in Gaara's Sand, but there should be more.

"The children! We have to go! Some of the Predators are on their way to the children!" Madara bellows, using a charm to amplify his voice.

"We need to hurry then!" Fugaku says and the man runs off towards where the children were hiding.

Any Predators who had wiggled their way out of the Sand, soon met the end of his wand. Mostly Stupefy's, but the father of two also occasionally brandished a Severing Charm or two.

Neville chases off after Fugaku. There was no way that he was going to allow the father to lead the charge towards the children without any help. The Herbology Professor would chip in too.

"Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy!" He chants out over and over again.

The Gryffindor was like a man possessed. Neville was doing his best to save his friends. It was inspiring really. With that in mind, Madara turns to face his wife.

"My Love, are you ready for this?" Madara asks Naori.

"If I can handle marrying you, I can certainly handle a Second Rate Witch who fancies herself the second coming of Morgana or something! Let's go!" Naori says and with that, they quickly take off together.


	25. A Very Nice Ring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final battle against Kaguya draws to a close, but a heavy price is paid in the name of victory. Gaara's 'secret' is finally revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy the second Battle Chapter. This will be told from Hidan's Perspective and there are no scene breaks in this chapter. Happy reading.
> 
> Chapter Notations and Warnings: Oh and there will be warnings before and after any supporting character deaths. Please do skip over those scenes, if you are sensitive to that sort of thing.

Hidan couldn't believe this. It was possibly the end of the world as they knew it and he was tied up and watching over a bunch of kiddies. Bloody Hell, this was beyond frustrating. Oh and did he mention that he was sitting next to a Basilisk?

Yeah. A Basilisk. A freaking snake that could kill you with one freaking look. The Slytherin couldn't even begin to fathom how his life had gotten so weird, but it had.

_"Someone's coming and I don't think that they are friendly."_ Aoda warns the group and instantly the Protectors surround the children and Hidan.

He should be able to bloody fight with them! Hidan had lots of badass magic. He could totally kick some arse in this damn fight, but nooo. He had to be tied up because that damn bitch had put him under a spell!

**"It's the Predators!"** Fredrick screams out in terror.

"No really?! What gave you that fucking idea?! Could it be because a bunch of Leprechauns, Giants, Veela, and some alien chick coming straight at us?!" He thunders at the Sorting Hat.

Hidan knew that he shouldn't yell at Fredrick. It wasn't his fault that he was down for the count, but damn it! It was all so frustrating.

"Mmm well look what we have here. So this must be Hogwarts' Daycare." A feminine voice that sent chills up his spine observes in amusement.

It was the alien chick. The freaky alien chick with eyes like Hinata and skin paler than Sasuke's. Her hair was a really light color and super long. The woman also had freakishly long nails and she was wearing some ancient looking robes.

Hidan loved ancient magic. He loved the kind of magic that most people either didn't know about or were too scared to try. That was why he recognized her for what she was instantly. Someone who practiced the Olde Ways.

"I suppose you could say that. I suppose you're the psychotic bitch who is behind all this." Mikoto says as she draws her wand.

Well score for Sasuke's Mum! He always liked it when the older adults swore. It made them seem more human somehow!

"Mmm I suppose that is one interpretation. Though I prefer to think of myself as a visionary. I'm seeing a surprisingly number of Uchihas today. Your family should understand almost better than anyone, why this has to be done. We can not keep hiding from the Muggle World. We must rule it!" She says.

Mikoto apparently didn't care for that idea much, if her next move was anything to go by. Hidan's eyes widen as he sees the Uchiha Witch cast Antonin Dolohov's Curse! The Slytherin didn't even know that people still used that spell. Though it was apparently rather effective.

Once it connects with Kaguya's midsection, she lets out an agonizing scream. That curse was designed to attack a person's internal organs. It was nearly lethal. Obviously, Mikoto was hoping to incapacitate the leader early on.

"Not bad for a kitten, but you severely underestimated me!" Kaguya says through gritted teeth as she opens a vial that was around her neck and drinks some of it.

Unicorn's blood. It could heal almost anything. Apparently, that included even a curse of that level. This wasn't good. As long as she had unicorn blood, she could survive almost anything.

"I'm pretty sure that it's you who underestimated us!" Hidan hisses at Kaguya.

The woman was too incensed though and her fury was focused on Mikoto. Hidan's eyes could only widen in horror as the woman gets out her wand and casts an all too familiar spell. An Unforgivable Curse.

"We shall see about that. CRUCIO!" The woman snarls as she hurls the Pain Curse at Mikoto.

Sasuke jumps in front of his mother and shoves her onto the floor. He falls onto his knees, screaming in pain. Hidan winces. No one should ever make the sounds that the youngest Uchiha was currently making.

"Oh you poor boy. Is that your mother that you just took a Crucio for? How sweet. Well I've always said the family that rebels together, dies together. Let's end this! Avada Kedavra!" She snarls at Sasuke.

**Warning Death Scene**

The spell never hit though. Well at least not Sasuke. Jugo and Shino jumped in the way of it. Jugo slammed the Slytherin onto the ground, shielding him from the Killing Curse and Shino tries in vain to block it.

Kaguya's wicked spell tears right into the insect lover and the gentle giant. Shino crumbles onto the floor, never to rise again and Jugo's body goes slack against Sasuke's. Hidan could only glare at Kaguya hatefully in response.

**End of Death Scene**

"Sasuke!" Naruto roars out in a furious panic!

"Jugo! Shino!" The raven haired wizard calls out desperately as he wiggles out from underneath Jugo's corpse.

Poor Sasuke. He was in such shock, that Hidan doubted he could even hear his husband calling for him. He could only look on with pity as the Uchiha checks Jugo and Shino for a pulse.

He didn't find any. Sasuke slumps over onto his knees in grief. Tears streaming down his face for the people who had died for him. Hidan knew that the other man would never be the same after this.

"I'm going to fucking kill you!" Naruto thunders at Kaguya.

"You're welcome to try dear boy. Hmm. You've got quite the little party here. My faithful servants, you know what you have to do! Attack!" The witch shouts.

"Oh this will be lots of fun! Deletrius!" One of the Leprechaun's shouts as he aims a spell at some children.

The spell would have disintegrated the children, if it had connected. It never did though. Something blocked it. Well more specifically, two someone's.

**Warning Death Scene**

Kabuto and Orochimaru had thrown themselves in front of the children in order to protect them. Hidan almost couldn't believe it. They had actually sacrificed themselves.

"Well I'll be damned. They weren't complete bastards, after all." He whispers as he watches their bodies turn into nothing.

**End of Death Scene**

No one had the chance to process Orochimaru's and Kabuto's deaths before two men started screaming. Two grown men. Two grown men that Hidan recognized.

"We're here! We're here! STUPEFY! STUPEFY!" Neville chants over and over again.

The Herbology teacher was trying to stun as many targets as he could. There were simply too many of them though. Hidan winces as he sees one of the Veelas hurl a Severing Charm at Longbottom and the wizard receives a deep gash on his cheek for his efforts.

" _Geminio_!" Fugaku calls out as he comes into view.

That was a clever move. The wizard's spell was aimed at their group. The spell made hundreds of clones of their fighters and the children. Now the bad guys wouldn't be able to tell the good guys from the clones.

He smirks as he sees more and more of their people coming into the room. Gaara, Neji, Tenten, Madara, Cho, Seamus, Lavender, and Peeves had all snuck in and holy crap. There were even some pets! An Eagle Owl, a cat, a toad, and a bloody phoenix!

"Awe that's no fun. I think that we've had more than enough party crashers for the day." Kaguya says as she uses a room to seal the door shut behind them.

Hidan could hear the screams and shouts of their loved ones on the other side of the door, who didn't make it inside. He could also hear what seemed like hundreds of curses, spells, and hexes being thrown at the door.

Their family and friends were all trying to open it. That or they were trying to blow it up. Unfortunately, it seemed like all their efforts were in vain. The door simply wouldn't budge.

"Don't worry! We've got this!" Lavender assures them as she fights back to back with Cho and Seamus from the Original D.A.

"Yeah! We do! Glacius!" Cho thunders as she transforms some of the leprechauns into solid ice and Seamus sends a Blasting Curse at them, blowing them up.

**Warning Death Scene**

The D.A. Members probably took out around two or three dozen Leprechauns, before it was all over. Almost before anyone could blink, one of the Dark Witches takes out her wand and sends a spell flying at them. Reducto.

"AHHHH!" The three scream in agony as the curse lands.

It was aimed at their necks. The spell broke them and the three fighters fall over. They fall over and Hidan could only stare in terror as he realized, that they would never get back up again.

**End of Death Scene**

"Rin! Obito! Are you ready for Operation Kamikaze?!" Kakashi asks.

Hidan could only stare in confusion. What was Operation Kamikaze. That didn't sound good to put it mildly, but clearly the deaths of three D.A. Members were having an impact on the teachers.

"Ready! Lumos Solem!" Rin calls out as a ray of light as bright as the Sun suddenly emits from her wand.

"Lumos Solem!" Kakashi and Obito all shout in unison with the pretty witch.

**Warning Death Scene**

They direct their Sun Spells at the Army of Giants. Hidan could only smirk. Now he knew what they were trying to do. They were trying to blind them.

The spells worked and it didn't take long for the giants to panic. They began failing around and losing their balance. Some just fell over and others waved their clubs.

"RIN! NOOOO!" Obito says as he rushes over to his wife, who had just gotten struck with a club.

The wizard cradles his wife in his arms. Hidan couldn't make out what he was saying to the witch, but he could only assume that Obito was trying to comfort her. Most likely, they were telling each other, _"I love you_."

"Obito! Look out!" Kakashi says, but it was too late.

A giant fell on top of Obito and Rin. The two of them were instantly squished to death. Kakashi's eyes darken and he starts hurling a series of Killing Curses at the remaining Giants.

That didn't end well. While the silver haired man definitely took out at least a half dozen of the wretched creatures on his own, one of them finally managed to grab the furious wizard and threw him against the wall.

"Kakashi!" Naruto calls out in horror.

_SPLAT!_ The former Quidditch Player smashes straight into a wall. The impact instantly killed him. The only consolation as far as Hidan could tell was that the three friends went out together and had taken a lot of Giants down with them.

**End of Death Scene**

It was all happening too fast. Yeah. They were kicking some bloody arse, but they were also losing a lot of people. Apparently, Neji and Tenten felt that way as well.

"Tenten, if I don't make it, there's something that I need you to know. I love you." Neji tells the Hufflepuff.

"I love you too. I always have, I always will. Let's not talk about that though." She whispers as she kisses him and Neji returns the kiss.

Any other time, Hidan would have been quite amused by all this. He knew better now though. This was crunch time.

"That's adorable and everything, but we have a war to win! SAND BURIAL!" Gaara reminds the lovers as he conjures sand and hurls it at their enemies.

The sand was going everywhere, but that wasn't the only thing that the Predator's had to content with. Fawkes and Garuda were flying around and literally tearing people's eyes out. Not to be outdone, the Gambunta was attempting trip over more Predators and Sakura's cat was scratching all the bad guys in sight!

**"Take this and this!"** The Sorting Hat calls out as he tosses out Full

Body-Bind Curses like they were candy.

"Oh yeah? Well INCENDIO!" A Dark Wizard snarls out, only to be blocked by Sasuke's well-placed water charm.

"Ron! I need some help!" Luna says as she cats as spell that caused arrows to be shot out from her wand.

Ron nods and quickly darts over to help her. The two of them were shooting at the Veela. The Veela who just kept charging and were brandishing a flurry of Stupefys.

"Peeves, we need your help!" Naruto shouts out as he issues a barrage of Confundus Charms at everything that he could reach.

The smell of smoke, blood, and sweat hung heavily in the air. Hidan could only watch in growing terror and frustration as the battle raged on and on. More and more of his friends were being taken down and he was helpless.

"Got some of these out the Old Bat's Office. She likes to confiscate them from the naughty students!" Peeves says as he drops some firecrackers down at the army below.

Grunts and hisses of pain could be hurt. Oh for Merlin's Sake, even the bloody ghost was helping out. He had to do something!

"I've had enough of this!" Kaguya says as she cats a spell that Hidan couldn't identify, but an array of colors washes over the room.

Everyone freezes except for him, Sasuke, Naruto, Mikoto, the animals, and the Hat. He'd never seen anything like it. Hundreds of people were stopped, right in their tracks.

"What did you do?!" Mikoto demands.

"Oh it's an ancient spell. Blood Magic, if you will. It allows the caster to immobilize anyone, who doesn't share a bond of blood or magic with you. Though I suppose it doesn't work on animals. Your pet snake is rather annoying, by the way." She cackles.

_"I'm not annoying! You're the one who attacks Hatchlings!"_ Aoda roars in outage.

Throughout the battle, he had been picking up Predators in his jaws and tossing them aside. Hidan wasn't really sure how many had died because of his attacks and how many were injured, but the Basilisk was playing a crucial role for their side.

"I care not. Hmm. I wonder, why didn't Naruto freeze? He's not related to me. Hidan I understand. I cast Imperio on him." She mutters out loud.

"I would be less worried about that and more worried about saying your prayers! RASENGAN!" Naruto snarls as he charges at the woman.

**_"That's it, brat! The Rasengan is an ancient spell. One that doesn't require a wand, but it requires a lot of power and speed. You can do this! Tear that witch's head clear off of her! The world will be better off."_** Kurama's voice thunders throughout the room.

Kaguya narrowly avoids getting ripped to shreds by the Rasengan. Unfortunately, she knew a spell to send Naruto's attack flying back at him. It likely would have killed them, if Hidan hadn't broken free of Kaguya's Curse at that precise moment.

"Protego Maxima!" He thunders out as a shield suddenly erects itself around Naruto and protects him.

"You broke out of my curse, but how?!" Kaguya demands.

"It's very hard to shake off that spell, but it can be done. If you have enough willpower, even that distasteful spell can be broken!" Madara informs the woman with a smirk.

He had finally done it! He was free! Free at least! Now, he was going to make this bitch pay. She was going top pay for everything that she had done to him and his friends.

"So long, Kaguya! I would say that it's been nice knowing you, but that would be a lie. _Sectumsempra_!" Hidan snarls at her as he sends the curse flying at the woman.

It hit's the mark. Kaguya goes down and was bleeding badly. Sadly, she drank from her vile of unicorn blood again and her injuries were now healing, right before his very eyes!

"Naruto, can you do that thing again?" Sasuke whispers to his Mate.

Hidan was damn lucky to overhear it. He was pretty sure that he knew what the Uchiha meant though. The Rasengan.

"I think so. It's Kurama's influence. Why?" Naruto asks his Mate.

"If I can get the unicorn blood away from her, she'll be vulnerable. She'll be like anyone else. At least, that's what I think will happen. It's worth a shot." Sasuke whispers back.

Naruto nods and charges up a Rasengan. Though it didn't look like that was Sasuke's only trick up his sleeve. He was readying his wand for another spell. One that Hidan recognized.

"Fiendfyre!" Sasuke bellows out as great spirits of fire emerge and fly across the room.

"Damn, kid! You sure like to play with fire! You know that's supposed to be impossible to control, right?!" Hidan demands.

It didn't matter though. Naruto was already aiming another Rasengan at Kaguya. Sasuke and Mikoto were working together at the moment and trying to take advantage of the opening created by the fire and Naruto's attack.

Kaguya was too busy trying to dodge to worry about the Accios. Avoiding the fire and the Rasengan were her top priorities at the moment. It was understandable, really.

"Whatever works!" Sasuke shouts back at him.

_"This is for scaring the hatchlings!"_ Aoda hisses out as he slams his tail over towards Kaguya.

The witch was now facing a three-pronged assault. The fire, Rasengan, and now the snake that was trying to crush her. Hidan had a feeling that Aoda would have taken off his glasses, if he wasn't worried about accidentally hitting someone else as well. This was complete and utter madness.

The vial goes flying into Mikoto's hand and she hurls it into the fire. There would be no retrieving it now. Now, they might be able to finally kill this evil witch!

"Ahhhh!" Kaguya screams as the Rasengan tears into her shoulder.

Naruto snarls at her. His eyes were now blood red and his fangs were bared. The markings on his face were now jagged and he was radiating a feral magic. This Naruto was too far gone to be reasoned with.

"She did Crucio Sasuke." Hidan whispers as he stares at the utter carnage in awe.

"Oh screw this!" Sasuke says as he whips out his wand and hurls an Entrail-Expelling Curse.

"That was bloody wicked!" Hidan cries out joyously while Mikoto looks more than a little green around the gills.

That's when Hidan notices that the Sorting Hat and Madara were up to something. He wasn't sure what at first. That was until he saw the green light emit from their wands.

"Avada Kedavra!" Madara and Fredrick bellow out as if they were one entity.

Hidan was pretty sure that between the Entrail-Expelling Curse and Rasengan, Kaguya was already dead. Though it never hurt to be sure. The spells land and perform the grisly deed that the casters intended.

Kaguya falls over and her eyes lull to the back of her head. Her body was surrounded by her blood and internal organs. It was not a pretty sight to put it mildly.

"I think it's over." Mikoto whispers as suddenly the spell that had shut the door ceases and all the combatants were able to move again.

"What the Hell happened?!" Gaara demands.

"We'll explain later! Just Sand Burial the rest of them! Madara! Can you put out my fire?!" Sasuke calls out.

Hidan snorts in amusement. Sasuke had performed quite possibly the strongest fire spell to have ever existed and he didn't know how to put it out. Talk about running before you could walk.

"You really should learn how to dispel what you cast, before you start whipping out lethal curses like this!" Madara growls as he waves his wand and slowly, but surely the fire disappears.

Gaara's sand was making short work of the remaining Predators. Without their leader, they were all panicking. By this time, their friends had all rushed inside the room and were reuniting with their loved ones.

"Sasuke, are you okay?! I won't ever forgive that bitch for what she did to you." Naruto asks as he wraps his arms protectively around his Mate.

"I'm okay. Well I'm as okay as anyone who endured a Crucio can be, anyway. It's alright. I have you. I'll be alright." Sasuke whispers as he returns his Mate's embrace.

That's when Gaara sees Hinata and rushes straight over to her. He grabs her and twirls the shy witch around happily. As much as a badass as Hidan knew that he was, there was something incredibly sweet about that.

Hmm. That was weird. The red head was now slipping something onto the Hyuga woman's hand. Wait. Was that a ring?! A DIAMOND ring?!

"No way! Gaara, did you really propose to Hinata?! That's what you said to her?!" The blonde demands.

"Well it's really not any of your business, but yes. I proposed to her. It just took me a bit of time to find a ring." Gaara says smugly.

"It is a very nice ring." Sasuke says with a smile.

Hidan couldn't help, but laugh. Oh damn. This was priceless. Gaara and Hinata were engaged.

"Wait. You're telling me that everyone's favorite homicidal bastard is marrying the Hyuga Princess?!" Suigetsu asks.

Hidan notices something strange. Hinata subtly slides her wand out and casts a spell at Suigetsu. Though it didn't take long to figure out which one she had used. The Silencing Charm.

"Don't call him that. Gaara is very nice. It's just in an unconventional way!" Hinata stammers out as she cuddles into her fiancé's chest.

"Well damn. Now, I've seen everything. Gaara is cuddling and going to get married. Oh that reminds me, I really do need to get you a ring." Naruto says to Sasuke.

"I don't need a ring. I have your Mating Mark." Sasuke replies.

Hidan chuckles. Oh boy. This was going to be hysterical. There was no way that Naruto was going to react to that well.

"Bastard, you're getting a ring and you're going to like it! It's going to be the most amazing ring ever! Believe it!" Naruto says and Sasuke groans.

"Alright. A ring might be nice, but we a lot of other important stuff to do first. We have to bury our dead and clean up…everything." Sasuke says with a sigh.

Damn it. That was going to take forever. Whatever. They had won the bloody war and that's what mattered most! Kaguya was now about as threatening as burnt toast. That and they could all live happily ever after or some dumb shit like that!


	26. Anything was Possible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thirteen years after the battle against Kaguya, the next generation goes to Hogwarts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy the grand finale of A Different World and if you are interested, please feel free to check out my other stories.
> 
> Chapter Notation: This takes place thirteen years, after the last one. It will also be told from Sasuke's, Shino's, and the animals' perspectives. Why it will be told from Shinio's perspective will be explained later on in this chapter. It's a surprise ;).

"Hey, Rin!" A twelve year old boy says brightly as he dashes off ahead of his parents and younger brother towards a Second Year Girl.

Sasuke could only smile knowingly. It was adorable really. Jugo was now a Second Year Hufflepuff at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. That and it was also rather obvious that he was besotted by the Second Year Ravenclaw.

Thirteen years had passed since the second Battle of Hogwarts. Though Jugo and Shino had died protecting them, their memories lived on. They lived own in his two sons.

"Hello, Jugo." The red head replies with a small smile.

Naruto and Sasuke had gotten officially married almost immediately, after graduation. Both of them had not only survived the war, but also N.E.W.T.S. Sasuke wasn't entirely sure which had been the more traumatic experience to be honest.

He supposed it didn't matter though. The point was that he and his favorite blonde had lived to tell the tale. To reward themselves for their outstanding survival skills and to celebrate their graduation, they had gotten married. It had been a massive and lavish ceremony to say the least.

"I really don't get why he likes girls so much." Shino observes with mild disgust.

"You'll probably find out when you're older. Well that or you'll prefer wizards." Naruto says thoughtfully.

Sasuke's family was one of the oldest Pureblooded Families in all of Britain. So it was expected that their wedding would be quite the spectacle. That and the Namikaze Branch of Naruto's family tree was very much on par with them in terms of wealth and status. There was just no escaping the fact that they were going to have a big wedding, when one considered those facts.

"Oh. Oh Dear Lord, is he actually giving her flowers?!" Shino grumbles as he watches his brother do exactly that.

Jugo was their eldest son. He had been born not long after the war ended. Thanks to advances in medical and magical technology.

Sasuke didn't entirely understand how it was possible, but he and Naruto had used surrogates to ensure they could have children. Though it wasn't just the Muggle Scientific Community that had chipped in to help them, Tsunade had as well.

"Yes, I believe that he's giving her flowers." Sasuke laughs.

Surprisingly, Tsunade was a Muggleborn. She had studied both Magical and Muggle Healing. That meant that somehow, she was able to combine both Sasuke's D.N.A. and Naruto's and successfully implanted the results into their surrogate.

Eight and a half months later, Jugo had been born with his raven black hair and sapphire blue eyes. Their eldest son had been two weeks early and now styled his hair like Naruto's father.

"How was your summer?" Jugo asks Rin.

Much like the man he had been named after, Jugo was a Hufflepuff and very tall and stocky for a Second Year. The boy probably could have passed for a Fourth Year or even a Fifth Year.

The Hufflepuff had inherited a lot from his fathers. He had Sasuke's ivory pale skin and facial features. Though he had Naruto's laugh, smile, and love of Quidditch.

"Good morning, Sasuke. Good morning, Naruto." Gaara says as he walks over with his wife, Hinata.

Gaara now worked in the Ministry. Currently, he worked in the Department of International Magical Relations. The red head was young, but there was talk that he would run to be the next Minister of Magic.

"Hey, Gaara! Hey, Hinata!" Naruto says brightly.

"Hello, it's good to see both of you." Hinata says with a sweet smile.

Hinata had become a healer. Though unlike his brother, she worked at Saint Mungo's. Itachi was still working at Hogwarts and Kisame did as well.

Well that was whenever Kisame wasn't off playing with dragons. The Akatsuki Member had recently become quite the accomplished Dragonologist. Sasuke thought the career choice suited him, really.

"You as well. I'm not really sure how a Hufflepuff and a Slytherin make a Ravenclaw though." Sasuke teases them slightly.

"I don't get how a Gryffindor and a Slytherin have a Hufflepuff for a son, but you do have another one. Hello, Shino. You must be excited to be going off to Hogwarts in a couple of weeks." Gaara smiles at him.

"I am. I'm a little nervous about the Sorting, but I can't wait to get my wand." He says brightly.

Shino had been born a year after Jugo. Tsunade had helped them again. Their first surrogate had been Tenten and Sakura was the one who carried Shino to term.

Shino surprisingly had inherited Naruto's golden tresses, but they possessed the same spiky texture as Sasuke. His skin was sun kissed like Naruto's, but he held the classical Uchiha facial features. The boys eyes were onyx black and he had yet to be Sorted.

"Oh yeah! Getting your wand is amazing! Believe it!" Naruto says with a grin.

"You never forget your first wand." Hinata confirms.

Their youngest son was definitely he more quiet of the two. Jugo was definitely a social butterfly and a bit of a jock. Shino was well an academic and a sneaky little thing. He was always trying to find ways to get around the Decree Against Underaged Wizardry!

"Yeah." Shino agrees with a smile of his own.

"You got me flowers? That's very kind of you." Sasuke overhears Rin say, briefly interrupting his internal monologue.

"Yeah! I would have done Orchideous, but they don't let us do magic outside of school." The blonde replies with a frown.

"Yeah. I know. That's so bloody stupid." Rin grumbles.

Rin had been named after the Rin who had died in Hogwarts. She had inherited her father's blood red hair and mother's lavender orbs. Her facial features were definitely Hinata's, but she also had Gaara's black markings around her eyes.

The girl was a Ravenclaw and smarter than a whip. Sasuke was really glad that she was still so little. She was going to be one fierce customer in a few years. Did he mention that she had inherited her father's Druid Powers? (The only difference was that she used water instead of sand).

"Definitely." Jugo dutifully agrees.

"Alright, Jugo! You can play with your little girlfriend later. We have to get your brother his wand!" Naruto calls out.

That causes the Ravenclaw and the Hufflepuff to blush deeply. Sasuke could only internally groan at Naruto's announcement. His husband was far from subtle.

"Naruto, stop embarrassing them!" Sasuke hisses at him.

"Okay! Okay! I was just having a little fun. Well, we'll see you two around." Naruto says with a wink as Jugo trots over and the family heads off towards Madara's Wands.

* * *

Ollivander had finally retired and now, Madara had taken over the shop. His wife had taken over his position at Hogwarts. She taught Ancient Runes.

"Ah welcome. I figured that you would all be arriving shortly. Your generation didn't waste any time spawning, after the war." The elder Uchiha gently ribs them.

"Well life is too short to wait." Karin says as she walks in with her wife.

Sakura and Karin had both tied the knot, shortly after Sasuke and Naruto did. The two witches were now both healers and worked at Saint Mungos with Hinata. Mostly though, Sasuke was just glad that they had given up on trying to seduce him.

"Hello, Madara. Sorry to interrupt. We just wanted to get some wand polish." Sakura says apologetically.

Madara chuckles and he shows them where the polish is. That's when he looks around at the bookshelves behind him that were filled with wands. Lots of wands. More wands than Sasuke would ever be able to wield in one lifetime and he was a Professional Duelist!

That's right. He was a Professional Duelist. The raven haired wizard had decided to follow in Madara's footsteps in that respect. It was a job that he loved. Sasuke loved competing against other skilled witches and wizards in combat. (Well at least the kind that he knew no Killing Curses would be thrown at him). That and it paid exceptionally well.

"No problem. Hmm. Now let's see. Oh hello, Jugo. I do hope that your wand is holding up well? If my memory serves it was 13 inches and made out of chestnut wood with unicorn hair as the core. Oh and it was surprisingly bendy." Madara remembers fondly.

Sasuke nods. He remembered what his ancestor had told hind that wand meant. Those with chestnut woods were said to be amazing flyers and at home in nature. The fact that it was coupled with unicorn hair, showed that Jugo was very concerned about fairness.

Oh and its swishy nature meant that he would always land on his feet because he was so easily able to go with the flow. Sasuke supposed it was just a large wand because Jugo was a very big boy. A small wand would never have worked for him. That or at least it would have been extremely awkward for him to wield.

"Yes, that's right." Jugo confirms with a nod.

"I thought so. Well let's see, what we can find for your brother. Shino, why don't you try this one? Give it a wave." Madara says with a smile as he hands the boy a wand.

That didn't end well. The first wand caused an explosion. The second wand produced a loud wail that shattered a window. The third wand produced some kind of laughing gas. On and on it went. It took nearly a dozen wands, before Shino found the one.

Sasuke smiles and he knew instinctively when his youngest had found it. Well more specifically, the wand had found him. A guest of wind surrounded him and the air practically hummed with magic.

"I like this one." Shino says happily.

"Of course. Well let's see. Elm. That's quite the precise wood. It strives for perfection in spell work, particularly with charms. You have a Dragon Heartstring core like Sasuke does. Which is particularly curious because that's a powerful wand core, but all that power can be unwieldy and makes it more prone to mistakes. I suppose that the wood and core will balance each other out." The wandmaker observes thoughtfully.

"It's ten inches and rigid. What's that mean?" Shino asks curiously.

Sasuke smiles. He suspected that his youngest son would likely be in Ravenclaw. He was such an inquisitive little thing. There was very little about magic that didn't fascinate him.

"Ten inches means that you aren't the most boisterous or the most shy of persons. Rigid means that you aren't likely to change your mind on much of anything. You're a bit stubborn. That can be both a blessing and a curse. All in all, it's a very fine wand. You'll do our family proud, I'm sure. Hopefully, you get put in Slytherin." Madara says with a wink and Naruto glares at him.

The duelist could only chuckle at the scene. It seemed that house rivalries would never truly die. He had been a Slytherin, but Naruto had been a Gryffindor. So far their eldest was in Hufflepuff. So Shino might be the tiebreaker. They would just have to wait and see.

Speaking of Naruto, he was now the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts. Naruto had flown for England's Quidditch Team for one season, but after Jugo's birth he had retired early. Now, he was quite happy to teach at Hogwarts.

The position meant more job security and it also offered him a less grueling schedule. Sasuke was sure that Naruto liked that. Why wouldn't he? It allowed the blonde to spend more time with his family.

"Oh great! I really like it." Shino says as he swishes his wand around in awe.

A family that Sasuke knew Naruto loved with all his heart. They were well into a decade of their romantic relationship and they were still in their Honeymoon Stage. Not to mention, the blonde clearly worshipped the ground that their sons walked on and Sasuke wouldn't have it any other way.

"We should probably get going. We still have a lot of school supplies to get the two of you." Sasuke reminds them as they head off.

* * *

Along the way, they saw some more old friends. Kiba, Deidara, Neji, and Lee were out and about. The Aurors were probably just enjoying their lunch break.

After Ino's death, Kiba had taken it hard. He wanted to prevent something like that from ever happening again. So he had become an Auror and Akamaru was a Canine Officer.

"Hey, guys!" Naruto waves at them as they walk by.

"Hey, Naruto. Hey, Sasuke! Hey, Jugo! Hey, Shino!" Came the chorus of replies.

Jugo smiles as he greets them and the boys briefly stop to pet Akamaru. Sasuke couldn't blame them. That was an adorable dog.

After Kiba announced his intention to become an Auror, some of his friends had joined him. He was pretty sure that Lee and Neji had done so mostly to keep an eye on Kiba. Though Deidara loved being an Auror because it often gave him an excuse to start throwing around Blasting Curses (and he claimed that he liked catching the bad guys, yeah)!

"I just got my first wand!" Shino informs them proudly.

"Oh really? That's great, kid!" Kiba says as he messes up the young boy's hair affectionately.

"That's amazing! The Power of Youth is definitely strong within you!" Lee says and Neji just rolls his eyes good-naturedly at that comment.

Some things would never changed. Sasuke was just grateful that Gaara and his family had slipped off by this point. The red head still hated that whole Power of Youth Thing.

"Great! Having a wand is really helpful when it comes to blowing stuff up! Hopefully, you'll be in Gryffindor. It's the best House. I mean the other Houses are nice, but Gryffindor is the best. Yeah?" Deidara asks.

"You got that right." Naruto says with pride.

"Good luck at school. I should get going though. I told Tenten that I was going to check over her Snitches." Neji says.

Neji and Tenten were now married. Tenten was a Metal-Charmer. The witch used charms to give items magical properties. For example, she often made sure that Golden Snitches would fly for Quidditch Games.

"Oh cool. Well be sure to give her, our best." Naruto says brightly.

"I'll be sure to do that. It was good seeing you again." Neji says with a smile as he heads off.

* * *

As they were continuing their shopping, they head inside Madam Temari's. The witch had bought the clothing shop from Madam Malkin, a few years back. So the feisty blonde managed it and her husband worked at Gringotts.

"Oh there, you guys are. I was wondering when you would get here." Temari says with a smile as she glances over some numbers with Shikamaru at her side.

The man was a whiz with numbers. Sasuke was honestly relieved that he had chosen a desk job at Gringotts, after the war. The fact that Shikamaru was capable of using an Unforgivable Curse was more than a little terrifying.

"Hey, guys. Don't worry. We'll find your robes. It's a drag, but we had to go over the monthly numbers." Shikamaru says with a yawn.

* * *

From there, it didn't take long for them to get their robes. After that, the family quickly heads off to buy some schoolbooks for Shino and Jugo. Sasuke smiles as soon as they entered the shop.

"Hello. It's so good to see you again." Konan says as she approaches with her husband, Pain.

The two of them were purchasing some books. Most likely for the library. They were the new Hogwart's Librarians. A profession that was rather fitting for two Ravenclaws, in Sasuke's mind.

They continue on their trek and pass the Samehada. It was a restaurant that was owned by Choji, Suigetsu, Kankuro, and Haku. The place had all kinds of food, but specialized in seafood.

"Can we go to the Samehada, after we get done shopping?" Jugo asks.

It was a very special place. As guests were eating, they would be treated to puppet shows where the puppets, employees, or even patrons could engage in sword play. That and Haku liked to put on shows with his magical ice. His ice could do anything. It was because of all those things, that it had quickly become one of the most popular magical restaurants in all of Britain.

"Yes, we can. I'll send an owl off to your grandparents. Maybe, they can Floo in and join us." Sasuke says with a smile.

Thankfully, all their parents had survived the War and their injuries had been healed. The proud grandparents were all still deeply in love with their respective spouses and enjoying living the High Society Life of wealthy witches and wizards.

Kushina might have been Muggleborn, but her money spent the same way. That and much like Hermione Granger, her skills with a wand had earned her a great deal of respect. Sasuke was still mildly terrified of his mother-in-law, but he was happy for her.

* * *

About two hours later, they were all having lunch at the Samehada. It was a family outing. That was until Sasuke spies Hidan and smiles. He gestures for the other man to come over.

"Haven't seen you for awhile. How has everything been going?" The Uchiha asks.

The man had suffered a lot in the War. Sasuke couldn't imagine what it was like to have your freedom taken away and not even to realize it. He had achieved a newfound respect for Hidan now that he knew how strong the other man's will was.

Sasuke had always respected him, of course. He was one of his brother's friends and a powerful wizard. That was different from respect as a _person_ though. Respect for a person's abilities and their character were two different things.

"Pretty well. They had me checking out some Mayan Ruins. One of the nice things about being a Cursebreaker is that there is never a dull moment." Hidan says with a wink.

"Don't you get scared? What if you don't know how to break the Curse?" Jugo asks.

"A very logical question and that's the reason why you aren't in Gryffindor." Fugaku says with a fond smile as he messes up Jugo's hair.

"Nah. I don't get scared. We won the War. There's nothing that the Mayans can throw at me, that Kaguya didn't already." Hidan says smugly.

Sasuke shakes his head in amusement at the foulmouthed wizard's answer. That was a good point. Though in all honesty, there mere mention of the war still brought back some rather painful memories.

Memories that he would bare, of course. He couldn't dishonor his friends' legacies. That didn't mean that it wasn't painful though.

"I'm glad that Kaguya isn't around anymore, but does it matter which House I get put in? Everyone is always talking about it? What's Hogwarts like?" Shino asks.

"You're exactly like my foolish little brother. He asked those sorts of questions before he started Hogwarts as well." Itachi says as he walks over with Kisame at his side.

Mercifully, Itachi had been able to reattach Kisame's ear. Which was a good thing, really. Sasuke was pretty sure not having an ear would totally be a mood killer when it came to the whole nibbling on your lover's ear thing.

"Uncle Itachi! Uncle Kisame!" The boys shout joyously.

"Hey, Brats! Good to see you!" Kisame says as he strides over to them, scoops the boys up, and spins them around wildly. (Much to their delight).

"Shino, they're all good Houses. It's just that everyone is really proud of their own House. They're just teasing you. As far as what Hogwarts is like, it's a different world. It doesn't matter whether you came from a Muggle or Magic Family, Hogwarts is special. It's not like any other place. No one is ever truly prepared for what they'll find there." Sasuke begins.

Shino tilts his head to the side cutely and Sasuke knew that his youngest son was considering what he was saying. The poor boy didn't know what he was in for. Oh well. It was probably best to tell him the most important thing about Hogwarts.

"Oh. I see." He says uncertainly.

"Don't be so worried about it. Just know that as long as you find friends who care about you, that's all that matters. Most of them will probably be rather eccentric like Kisame and Hidan, but that's okay. It would be boring if everyone was the same." His father finishes.

"Yeah! I guess that's true." Shino says with a smile as his father ignores the protests of Kisame and Hidan. (Apparently, they didn't agree with Sasuke's opinion that they were eccentric)!

* * *

A few weeks later and Shino arrives at Hogwarts. He and the other First Years were escorted to the castle by a half-giant named Hagrid. Shino wasn't scared of him though.

He knew that like his brother, Hagrid was a gentle giant. He probably would never have hurt a flea, if it hadn't been for the wars. Thankfully, peace now reigned in the Magical Community.

"Good thing that Muggles are so busy fighting each other, that they almost never notice us." He mutters under his breath as he waits in line.

The ceiling was beautiful and it was enchanted to look like a starry night sky and the ghosts were all putting on quite a show for everyone in Hogwarts. Nearly Headless Nick, the Grey Lady, Fat Friar, Professor Binns, and even Peeves were flying about. They were all greeting people and having a grand time doing little tricks for the students' and staff's entertainment.

Apparently, the Bloody Baron was keeping Peeves in line for the evening. That was the only reason why the mischievous spirit was allowed to participate in the evening's festivities. Peeves knew that if stepped one toe out of line, he would have to face the Bloody Baron's wrath. Thankfully, that knowledge seemed to be more than enough motivation for him to behave himself.

"Welcome. Welcome. You are about to be sorted in to your Houses. While you're here, your House will be like your second home. Your accomplishments will earn them points and any failures, will cost your House Points. The House at the end of the year with the most points will win the House Cup. Which is considered a great honor." Minerva begins.

That's when Shino notices that the Staff and Visitor Tables were rather full. There was of course Tsunade, Itachi, Hinata, Tsunade, and Jiraiya. That was only to be expected. What surprised him though was how many members of the Golden Generation were there.

"Do not worry about which House you will be Sorted into. All four Houses have been produced many fine witches and wizards. Now, let us begin!" Minerva says happily.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville, Ginny, and Draco were all there. Shino was happy that Harry's wife had recovered from her serious injuries and that they all appeared to be doing well. These witches and wizards had not only helped to win one war, but two. They deserved all the happiness that they could get.

That was when things got weird because the Sorting Hat and the Sorting Tiara burst into song. Yes, there was now a Sorting Tiara.

**"Welcome one and all."** Sir Fredrick begins.

_"There's no need to look so frightened; we're going to have a ball."_ The Tiara continues.

**"Everything will change for you, this fall."** The Hat says.

_"You're world will grow much bigger and you will feel so small."_ The bejeweled tiara adds.

**"Remember as you begin this grand adventure to stand up tall with pride and there is no need to bawl."** Fredrick states.

_"Because Hogwarts love you all and we'll make sure that you're put in the right place."_

**"So get wipe that frown off of your face and you will be Sorted with grace!"** Fredrick commands.

Apparently, the House Elves had become rather fond of Sir Fredrick. The oddly sweet creatures hadn't wanted him to be alone and that was how Lady Tiffany was born. Lady Tiffany helped the Hat to Sort the more difficult students and had her own ceremony at the end of the year.

At the end of the year, she was placed on the heads of every Seventh Year. She would then look into their mind and give them career suggestions. One didn't have to pursue the career that she recommended, but those that did were usually better off in the long-run.

**"Hufflepuff!"** The Hat says a few minutes later, after the first child was sent up.

On and on it went. Shino knew that he would be towards the end. His last name was Uchiha and everyone was sorted by alphabetical order.

"Shino Uchiha!" The Head Mistress's voice rang out.

Shino gulps and mentally braces himself as he scurries over to the Sorting Hat and Tiara. Everyone's eyes were on him. That was only natural though.

He was the son of two war heroes. Whichever House he ended up in was going to have major bragging rights. As far as Shino could tell, House Rivalries were just a fact of life around here.

**"Hmm. Difficult. Very difficult. I'm not sure. What do you think, My Love?"** Fredrick asks.

_"Well. I'll have to sit on his head and have a look."_ Tiffany replies.

That wasn't good. Shino knew that only about a quarter of people needed both 'hats' to sort them. It meant that there were at least two Houses that he could go into.

That meant that he'd have to prove himself. It didn't matter which one that he ended up in. Shino was going to have to prove that he was a **_true_** Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff now.

_"Oh yes. I can see why Fredrick was having trouble with you. Well you are certainly not the type to cower. Though I don't think you are brash enough to be a lion. You're ambitious. So Slytherin is a possibility. You're a hard worker, but I think that you might be a bit too aggressive to get along well with most Puffs. You do have a brilliant mind as well. So Ravenclaw isn't out of the question."_ The Tiara says, a moment after being placed upon his head.

**"Hmm. We might as well have a full set then. His brother is a Hufflepuff. His father is a Gryffindor. The boy's other father is a Slytherin. That and he has a keen mind."** Fredrick reasons.

Shino couldn't help, but think that the 'hats' were showing off. This was their big day as a couple, after all. Together, they helped to Sort the students. The Sorting was a major event in any Hogwart's Student's life and they would remember it for all their days. So maybe, it was best that they liked to do it with a little flourish here and there.

_"Yes, My Heart. I quite concur."_ Tiffany agrees.

Tiffany was quite beautiful. She was a golden tiara with numerous sapphires and diamonds on her. The tiara was perched upon a red version of a hat that was similar to the one that Fredrick was made out of.

There was also the fact that she had a set of wooden arms and legs. So much like her husband, she could walk around and do whatever she pleased. That even included using a wand. (She was quite the accomplished duelist, actually).

**"Better be…RAVENCLAW!"** He decrees and with that, Shino heads over to the Ravenclaw Table.

He smiles as he sees the grand feast that was laid out before him. There was so much food and it all looked delicious. Idly, he notes that he was going to have to join the Quidditch Team next year. If he didn't, Shino was certain that he would grow fat off of the Hogwart's Cuisine. (Those House Elves sure knew how to cook)!

"I think that I'm going to like it here." He says with a smile.

* * *

Unbeknownst to him, the students were all being watched. An aging cat, Eagle Owl, toad, phoenix, and even a Basilisk were observing the scene quietly. All of them knew that humans were humans. Obviously, they couldn't handle anything without them.

"Well Fawkes, what do you think?" Garuda asks.

"They seem like a powerful group. I just hope that they have a peaceful seven years at Hogwarts." The Phoenix replies.

Most humans weren't aware of this, but all animals could talk. It was just a matter of whether or not, humans could understand their language. For example, there were Parselmouths who could understand snakes. Though for the most part, even witches and wizards had a heard time speaking animal languages.

"I wander if any of them would be willing to share their food." The cat ponders.

"Pft. You're always thinking with your stomach." The toad replies.

"Meow, but they have fish!" The feline protests.

Aoda shakes his head in amusement. He would forever be grateful to Sasuke for bringing him into the light. No more did he have to hide in the Chamber of Secrets with only Manda's skeleton and pests for company.

Now, he had friends. Not only that, he had become something of a mascot for the school. He quite enjoyed his new life.

"Katsuyu, go and see if you can find us all some food." Aoda says with a smile.

"Alright. I'll be right back." The pretty cat says as she prowls off.

Thanks to the Golden Generation and the Kyuubi Generation things were slowly changing. More and more magical creatures and beings were being recognized and given human rights. Slowly, but surely creatures like Aoda were beginning to find a newfound acceptance in the magical world.

Of course, he knew that equality wasn't going to be achieved overnight. Though the Leprechauns, Veelas, Giants, Centaurs, mermaids/men were making particularly great strides towards achieving equality. Magical creatures like himself, would eventually do the same. He was sure of it.

"It's a different world than the one that Manda and I were born into. We'll have to wait and see what these ones do with it." He says as he watches the children and the future of the Magical World dine on the marvelous Hogwart's Feast that had been prepared for them.

One day, he would be able to go where he pleased. No one would scream. He had sunglasses. There was no need and maybe, one day he'd even find himself a Lady Basilisk and have hatchings of his own. If Sasuke and Naruto could do it, anything was possible.


End file.
